Dust to Dust

Chapters

Betrayal
And so it begins
Power
Rise of the Republic
Into Freedom
Hunted
The Void that Shatters
Aurora
Revelations
Wings of a Crow
Confessions
Awakening
Embrace of Sorrow
A Game well Played
Singing Blades
The last Sunset
Union of Hearts
Epilogue
Prelude to a Nightmare
Hidden agendas

Betrayal

His vision had turned red, like blood. Anger raging through him, he jerked his head from side to side, looking at the ponies standing around him with terrified faces. If only he could move. If only he could rip out every single one of their staring, disgusting eyes. One by one. But the pain in his upper back prevented him from moving. Crawling, cutting pain, as if something was trying desperately to get out. Like long, dead fingers ripping through his skin.

He closed his eyes, tried to overcome the pain, tried to get his vision back to normal. He opened his eyes again. Looking at the crowd of ponies around him, he felt his knees giving way under him. Every single pony had transformed. It was like looking at a sea. A sea of dark-blue, beautiful alicorns. Everywhere he looked, the same cutie mark met his eyes. A crescent moon.

He wanted to fall. Sitting on his knees in the cold snow, surrounded by this blue darkness, he felt no more desire to go on. Enough.

His vision caught sight of something. In the crowd of blue alicorns, he could clearly see a much smaller, white figure. It moved through the crowd, circling around him. He saw part of a purple mane.

Tears fell from his eyes, as he saw Rarity stepping out from the crowd, looking him straight in the eyes. Red tears. She walked towards him through the snow, the wind tugging at her main and tail. Snowflakes landed on her face. She almost disappeared in the howling wind and raging snowfall, her eyes being all he could see.

He tried getting up from his knees, but he was paralyzed. He wanted, no needed, to run away. He couldn't let Rarity see him like this. See what he'd become. The snow gained strength, growing into a full-blown blizzard. He couldn't see her eyes anymore. He raised his arm, stretching it out into the wind. He whispered her name, and the wind carried it away, hopefully to her ears.

Then he felt a hoof pressing against his outstretched hand. It was so cold, it felt like ice. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around it, trying to warm it.

The skin on his back gave way. Whatever had been on the inside had managed to claw its way out. He felt something pressing its way through the open wounds, and before he could realize what was happening, a pair of huge, black-

Dust awoke from his dreams with a terrified yell that instantly turned into a heavy cough. He was sweating, and his head felt like molten lead. He tried to raise his body up on his elbows, but he was too weak. He sighed loudly and put his head back on his pillow.

Looking up into the ceiling, seeing those same wooden boards he'd seen every morning for a long time. At least he was at home. But he had no idea how he got here. Furthermore, the bed sheets he rested on had been neatly folded. He never made his bed like that...

"How are you feeling..?" A voice reached his ears. A female voice.

For a moment, Dust wondered what the hell a woman was doing here, considering the shape he was in. He was grateful that the blankets in his bed at least covered him. He really didn't want some stranger to see him... like this.

He turned his head in the direction of the voice. A few feet away, sitting in a chair and observing him was... Now he remembered what happened yesterday. The carriage. The cobblestone street rushing towards his face. The two angels.

And sitting in the chair, was the blue angel.

Of course, being wide awake and being able to see properly, Dust quickly realized that she wasn't an angel. She was a mare, but unlike the others he'd seen. First of all, she seemed bigger than the other ponies. Her coat in dark-blue, and her mane... Shimmering in seemingly millions of shades of blue, it flowed behind her like fog. Even more odd for Dust was the fact that she had both wings and a unicorn horn... He'd never seen anything like it before.

Around her neck hung a black scarf, with a white, crescent moon embroidered into the cloth. Her cutie mark was the same symbol. No doubt about it, this was the mare he'd just seen in his dream...

"I've been better...” Dust exhaled. Looking at the mare, he added "Sorry for asking but... what are you..?"

The mare smiled, letting out a quiet scoff. Dust, believing he just made a fool of himself, opened his mouth to apologize.

"You've never seen an Alicorn before?" the mare asked. Dust shook his head. "Then I suppose you don't know who I am, either?" She added. Dust shook his head again.

"I am Princess Luna," the mare said with a rather strong voice, "younger sister of princess Celestia, ruler of all of Equestria."

Dust's eyes widened. A princess. Here, in his home. Immediately, he started stuttering out apologies, about the state of his house and how she had to meet him.

"I'm the one who should beg for forgiveness." She said in an apologetic voice. "It's my fault you got hurt. Do you remember what happened..?"

Dust nodded, quickly reciting what he remembered from the day before. Luna's eyes moved away from him, avoiding eye contact. Was she embarrassed..?

"How did I get back here?" Dust asked, changing the subject. "Did you bring me here?"

Luna turned her head to look at him again. Then, she got out of the chair, walked over to him. Her horn lit up, and Dust felt something touching his head. Using her magic, Luna removed what Dust believed to be some sort of silk raping from his head. She observed the back of his head, and then gently pushed the silk raping back over his wound.

"I had a little help. A unicorn claiming she knows you." Luna said slowly. Dust smiled and let out a quiet laugh.

"Let me guess," he said "white coat, purple mane, called you darlin' all the way here?"

Luna nodded and rolled her eyes. Dust chuckled a bit, glad that Rarity still cared for him, after all. Maybe she still...

"She's in the living room right now. She tried to keep up the appearance of not being bothered, but the moment we got here she completely broke down. She hasn't even seen you yet, she's too afraid. Been crying her eyes out, poor thing. Do you want me to go get her for you?"

Dust nodded slowly. "Yes, please...”

Luna nodded back at him, and went for the door. Dust wanted to see Rarity again, but he wasn't sure if he was ready. It had been so long since they saw each other. In truth, he missed her. Missed her a lot. Oftentimes he wished that night so long ago hade unfolded differently. If he had decided to try, they could have been a couple right now. They could have been happy, and he wouldn't be lying here with a broken skull.

But no matter. What's done is done, there's no changing that.

"I'll leave you two alone...” He heard Luna saying calmly over by the door, "I'm sure you'll have some catching up to do."

"Wait, Luna! Erm, princess, I mean...”

She stopped, and turned and looked at him with wondering eyes.

"Thank you...” Dust whispered, looking into her eyes. "For what you did, I mean. You saved my life...” Now, after talking so much the last few minutes, Dust started coughing again. Luna waited until he had stopped before she answered.

"You don't need to thank me. I did what I had to." She said smiling back at Dust. "I only wish my sister would have done the same...”

She whispered the last sentence, more to herself than to Dust, and then she opened the door and stepped out into the living room. Dust sighed again, trying to sink down as far as he could into the bed. The conversation with the princess left him strangely drained.

What did she mean with that last thing she said? What did she say her sister’s name was, Celestia..? Would she have done something different than Luna? Maybe she didn't care about him, because he was human...

Dust's brain did it's best to try and figure out what she had meant, but his injury made it so much more difficult to think. After a few minutes of silence, broken only by the muffled sounds of chirping birds outside his window, the door slowly creaked open. Dust heard the sound of hooves, slowly making their way over the wooden floorboards towards his bed. A shivering breath, and then, a whisper.

".. Dust?"

He hesitated a second before turning his head to look at her. When he saw her face, all he wanted to do was to cry. Her face was covered in tears, dried and new ones. Her eyelashes that she always wanted to be perfect where untouched, some of her makeup smeared out thanks to her tears. The edges of her eyes were red from all her crying, looking like she'd been awake for days. And her mane. By god, it was a mess. She obviously hadn't cared for it or washed it for quite some time.

"Rarity, you... you look like shit." Dust whispered, adding a weak smile.

At first, Rarity seemed unsure of how to react, but seeing Dust's smiling face, she relaxed and smiled as well.

"You're a horrible person, you know that right?"

"Yeah...” Dust answered with a grin.

They both started laughing, and Rarity flung her forelegs around his neck, hugging him tight, sobbing and laughing. He'd never seen her this happy before. He tried to hug her back, but his arms weren't strong enough to reach around her. Instead, Dust buried his face in her mane. It smelled a bit like dirt. Her grip around his neck tightened, as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go.

"Rare, I.. I-I can't... breathe...” Dust wheezed.

"Sorry...” Rarity said quietly, letting loose her grip. "I was afraid... Afraid that I'd lost you forever."

"Rare, you...” Dust began, but was cut short by Rarity, giving him a kiss in silence.

"You know I'll always love you."

Time passes quickly when you're happy. Love really changes your life, for the better. You feel like you can take on the world and never back down, because you know your beloved stands next to you. You wear your love and happiness like armor. Nothing can get through it; you can run across a battlefield of despair and disgust, feeling resentment following your every step.

Gigantic blades made out of hatred and disgust cleaves through the air, about to slice your hope in two. You close your eyes and wait for death. But nothing happens. The blades stopped dead in their tracks the moment your loved one stepped up beside you. Together you fight your way through the darkness with the power of your undying love, never slowing down.

You wage this war together. You give each other a reason to fight. Until the end.

Dust couldn't believe a whole year had passed. A whole year since that day he woke up after the accident, and decided together with Rarity to try again. It had been a good decision. He couldn't recall the last time he felt this happy. He belonged with Rare, and she with him. They didn't care about what everypony else thought, they still had the guts to show their love openly, unashamed.

But sadly, everything comes to an end.

There was a chill in the air that day. Summer had passed into autumn, and winter was without any doubt on its way. Dust was walking through the thick forest surrounding their home. Never before would he even have gotten the idea to take a walk in the woods. Never did he realize just how beautiful and serene it was. Here, no one judged him. It was just him and the silence, and on occasion, Rare walked along with him.

This day, however, Dust was alone. Rarity had stayed home to work on some new design, as usual. And it was this particular day that Dust noticed something. Amongst the frost and ice covering the ground and trees, he had seen something red. Glowing through the silver frost, he could see from afar that it was a couple of roses.

How they managed to survive the cold was beyond him, and didn't interest him. He walked up to them, and carefully took them out of the cold, frozen ground. They were perfect for Rare. A chill went down his back as a cold wind blew across the land. He closed his jacket and hurried back home.

He longed to be back, in the warmth of the fireplace, and his beloved Rarity. Longed to hold her in his arms, and feel the cold from the harsh outside weather wash away in an endless kiss. And then, finally, he saw the cottage between the trees. He almost ran up to the door, and swung it open.

"Rare? Sweetie, you here?" He called out. But the living room was quiet.

He called her name again. No answer. He kicked of the frost from his boots and walked towards their bedroom. Even before he opened the door, he could feel something wasn't right. He heard a shivering noise, a noise he knew all too well. A noise he heard when he and Rarity... His body started to shake.

He opened the door. The quiet, shivering noise stopped, replaced by a high pitch yell from Rarity, as she saw Dust, and then followed by curse words from the stallion she was with.

Rarity tried to get up, tried to call out to Dust, but he heard nothing. His mind had gone blank. As if someone erased every word on every page in a book. Nothing left.

He looked Rarity in the eyes, but didn't see them.

The roses slipped from his hand, and they were the only things he could see. They slowly fell to the ground, the same as his heart. He watched them hit the floor, some of the pestles tore of and scattered on the wooden planks before him. Shattered. Broken.

A white hoof appeared. For Dust, it felt like minutes before the hoof touched ground, stepping on one of the roses by mistake in the process. He moved his head, and saw Rarity standing in front of him. With tears in her eyes, she had her mouth opened. She probably said or yelled something. Dust couldn't hear it.

He was dead.

He could see Rarity coming closer, felt her arms around him, but the embrace reached nothing more than a dead shell. He didn't answer the embrace, didn't push her away. He was unable to do anything. Rarity let him go, but continued to talk. Or yell. Slowly, Dust turned around, started to walk out from the room. Rarity ran after him, seemingly in slow-motion, as she ran in front of him, tried to stop him. Dust stepped around her without even looking at her.

Stepping through the door, the cold winter breeze hit him. He didn't bother closing the door. No point.

Without knowing where to go, he walked down the path leading to Canterlot. For a few minutes, he walked through the forest in silence. Rarity didn't seem to follow him. Probably busy with that stallion. Bitch.

Suddenly, he saw the walls of Canterlot. Upon seeing the city and other ponies moving about, happily and content, the bubble that had encased his mind burst violently. He fell to his knees in the frost, crying and sobbing. He smashed his hands in his face, as his crying turned into loud screaming.

Screams of agony and pain. The sounds of a whole new life shattering. The sounds of someone’s soul tearing itself apart.

Dust smashed his hands into the frozen ground, trying to bury his naked fingers into the hard soil. He clawed away at the ground, until his fingers started bleeding. Drops of crimson red upon the frost.

His screaming must have been heard, as he could see a couple of town guards approaching through the tears in his eyes. He fell forward, hitting his forehead in the ground. The blood from his fingers smeared out across his face, and he screamed out all his pain into the dirt. He felt someone grab him, and instantly launched out at them. On either side of him stood Rarity and the stallion that... He yelled in their faces, bringing up his hand and smashing it straight into Rarity’s face.

The guard yelled loudly as the first hit him, breaking his jaw and some teeth. Blood sprayed through the air as he fell to the cold ground.

Dust turned to the stallion. The one that had fucked his Rarity, ruined everything. The stallion stood still, merely observing him. He began to raise his hands, but just hitting the stallion wasn't enough. Dust rushed forward, grabbing the stallion by his neck, tackling him hard into the ground.

Dust landed on top of the stallion, and watched in silent anger as life slowly ran away from the stallions eyes. They rolled back into its head, and it's body shook. He clamped his hands harder around its throat, hearing cracks and felling the bones in the neck move in his hands as they snapped.

With a wheezing sound, the guard let out his last, dying breath. Dust got up from the stallion, and now realized that they weren't Rarity and...

In the distance he could hear loud yelling. More guards approached at high speed through the air. Dust fell to his knees, and waited.

They grabbed him, tied his hands and put a sword against his back. Slowly, they guided him to Canterlot.

The gates opened, and he stepped into the town. The sun had almost set, and the streets where starting to get empty. The few ponies in the street looked at him with disgust. The few who actually knew him looked at him with more than just disgust, it was... pure hate. Somepony spit on the ground in front of him as they walked down the street, seemingly towards a plaza, with a big gathering of ponies. Were they going to execute him..?

The guards led him into the thick of the crowd. Looking up towards a makeshift pedestal, he understood that they were not going to kill him. At least not yet, Dust thought. At the top of the pedestal stood a small unicorn, lavender in color and with dark purple, striped mane. Next to her was... Celestia. Towering over both the unicorn, and Luna, standing on the other side of the unicorn.

Luna!

Dust snapped back into the world, realizing his chance. Luna had saved his life once, and was the closest thing he had to another friend in this world. Even though he hadn't seen her since the accident, surely she would recognize him and help him. A flicker candle of hope lit up in his heart.

Celestia bowed her head down to the lavender unicorn, seeming to talk to her, and then, the unicorn stepped forward and with the help of her magic, held up a parchment in front of her face. It gleamed in a purple shine as she raised her voice.

"Ponies of Canterlot! This is truly a day of joy! After consideration, Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna, have come to an agreement! An agreement to further our place in the world, an agreement that benefits the entire kingdom! Together they have decided that at the end of winter,

Princess Luna will be married to-"

The candle flickered and died.

Dust didn't hear any more of the unicorn’s speech. It didn't matter. This was the end. A day of joy... Losing his beloved, his life mashed in pieces, and now, his last friend was about to be torn away from him. It became too much. He couldn't stand it anymore.

Gathering all strength he could, filling his lungs with air, he yelled as loud as he could.

"LUNA!"

The lavender unicorn stopped her speech, looking out at the crowd in confusion. Luna widened her eyes, trying to find the pony calling for her. Finally, her eyes stopped at Dust. He yelled her name once again, but before he could see her reaction, a dark bag was put over his head, and he was smacked hard at the back of his head. He felt his body sail to the ground, landing on something cold and hard, but uneven, not like the street.

He squirmed to move, but somepony tied his feet as well. And then, the ground started moving. One part beneath his shoulders, another his knees, the ground moved as waves. After a few seconds he realized he was being carried, probably on the backs of the guards. He settled down, thinking it's better to just go along. Whatever would happen to him now didn't matter anymore. He was dead anyway.

Soon, the sounds of the crowd grew distant and eventually disappeared altogether. The only sound was the clanking of the guard’s hoofs against the street. Dust wished that they would have to carry him across something, anything that would cause them to loose balance. Then maybe, he could slip of and hit his head hard enough against the cobblestone to end it all.

After a while, the sound of clanking hoofs was replaced by the sounds of crackling paper. The guards where walking on grass. Why would they take him outside..?

Then they stopped. Without saying a word, they threw Dust on the ground. Freezing and with tears in his eyes, he rolled around to get up, ready for whatever they would do to him. Standing on his knees in the grass, he waited. But nothing happened. Dust got down into the grass again, on his back, bending his knees up towards his chest, in order to move his tied-up hands from his back, around to his chest.

He got ahold of the bag on his head, and pulled it off. He was alone. No guards, only darkness and icy winds. He looked around, realizing he was just outside the walls. They had dumped him off here, like garbage. Dust looked down on his bound hands, and luckily, they were tied with only a weak string. He bit down on it, and after some time they snapped, having been chewed right through.

He massaged his aching wrist for a while, before untying the rope around his feet. Finally free, he spread out on his back in the grass, looking up at the moon, slowly rising into the skies.

"Luna?" he asked, concentrating on the moon above him. "If you can hear me... please help me... I don't know what to do... I...”

He whispered slowly, and his voice sounded like it was part of the wind. He waited for an answer, but nothing happened. Once again, he started crying. It was so cold; his tears froze before they fell to the ground. He put a hand over his face, sobbing loudly. Before him, all he could see was Rarity’s face. Her face that split second before she saw him in the door. A face twisted in pleasure.

One last time, Dust screamed out his pain. The wind grabbed his wailings, carrying it off into the night. He rolled over on his side, tucking his legs close, into a fetal position. He hugged himself hard, shivering in the cold grass. He had no idea how long he stayed like that, but when he decided to move again, his limbs didn't really respond. He was so frozen; his body seemed to stop functioning.

He wiggled his fingers, trying to spread the sensation of movement to his other limbs. After a while, he could move his arms, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Sobbing, shaking, numb and broken down, he got up on his feet. He glanced one last time at Canterlot, then turned around, and started the agonizing walk back home.

The cabin was dark and cold. The candles on the table next to the couch had burned down, and the living room was a mess. It looked as if someone or somepony had run around like crazy, moving the furniture and smashing some glasses on the kitchen counter. Dust took a quiet step towards the couch. It was covered with blankets and pillows. Upon closer inspection, Dust saw dozens of white and purple strains of hair all over it. All of this wasn't here when he left. Did she... Did she wait here for him? Did she sit here, alone in the darkness?

Looking closer at the table next to the couch, Dust saw a vase sitting in the middle of it, and in the vase... A couple of roses. Leaned against the side of the vase, he saw an envelope, with his name written on it. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed it. Sinking down in the couch, he looked at it. It was Rarity’s hand writing. Or mouth writing, whatever he should call it.

He flipped it around in his hands, and saw that it hadn't been sealed. Slowly, he opened the envelope with one hand, and scooped out the letter inside with the other. Even in the darkness, he could see dried tears covering the letter. He took a deep breath, and started reading.

"Dust, I'm so sorry. I know, this won't change anything, won't undo what I did. I don't even know why I did it. I'm not going to try and make up excuses, since no excuse in the world can correct my wrongs. I won't ask you to forgive me, but know that I still love you. Despite what I did, I have never stopped loving you. But I understand if you hate me. I hate myself too. But please, promise me you'll be all right, with or without me. I've been here for quite some time now, waiting for you. I'll never talk to that other guy again, I swear. I have no idea what flew into me. Still, no matter what, the only one I want to be with and share my love with, is you.

I'll head back home again, I'm sure you want to be left alone for a while now. But when you feel you’re ready, please, come and see me. I don't want this to be the end of our future together.

Love, now and forever.

Rare"

Dust read the letter over and over, tears falling from his eyes. Should he forgive her? He wanted to. Wanted to forget this ever happened and go on living. But that was impossible. As much as he wanted to, he could never forgive her for such a betrayal. No matter how sorry she was. She made the choice; she had to take the consequences. Getting up from the couch, he carefully folded the letter and placed it over the fireplace. He then turned around, looked at the roses. One of them had lost several pestles, the other one flattened. He couldn't stand to look at them.

One, partly destroyed, pestles of trust stripped away from its body. The other, grinded into the dirt, almost reduced to ashes.

Dust picked up the vase and looked at it. Then, he threw it hard into the fireplace.

The forest was silent. The grass and leaves beneath his feet crackled as he walked on, one step after the other. He didn't bother to put on any warm clothes, in a short while; he wouldn't be able to feel the cold anymore. It was pitch-black beneath the trees, and Dust pressed on forward without knowing where he would end up. The only thing he asked for was a beautiful, peaceful resting place.

He lost track of time as he walked, and the trees hid the moon from his sight. After what felt like hours, he came out from the trees, into a clearing. And right in the middle of the open field stood a big tree, an oak. Perfect. He moved faster towards the tree, but after only a few steps his foot kicked against something hard, and he tripped forward. He didn't bother to catch himself; instead he let himself fall flat in the grass.

He spun around on the ground to see what he had tripped on. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, but when he did, he saw that it was a gravestone. Broken horizontally down the middle, covered in mold and frost. Looking around, he saw more stones in strange shapes. Unlike the world he came from, Equestria didn't seem to use crosses for their tombstones. Instead, they were mostly squares, and some shaped as hearts. Walking through the graveyard he found a few shaped like horseshoes, with the names and dates carved on the sides. He didn't bother reading it. Nopony he knew anyway.

A half-circle with graves had been formed around the oak, all gravestones shaped as different rearing ponies. Since they were all made in stone, it was impossible for Dust to make out any difference between the mares and stallions. He counted ten ponies all in all, aligned so that they all faced the oak in the middle. How fitting, he would have an audience.

Walking over to the oak, he inspected the different branches. They were all narrow and rotten, and probably wouldn't stand his weight. Dust looked up at the top of the tree, and saw that it was shaped like a small cross, three thick branches growing in different directions. That could work. And at the same time, if he fell down, it would probably kill him anyway. He would get the desired results, no matter what.

Tossing the thick rope he carried around his shoulders, he grabbed the lowest branch and heaved himself up. It broke instantly, sending him falling on his back into the frozen grass. He sighed loudly, the branch resting on his chest. He grabbed it and quickly threw it away. It hit one of the pony statues with a dry crack. Finding another branch, he tried once more. This one held, and he got up unto it. After a slight struggle, he had heaved himself up two more branches.

Pushing himself, he managed to get to the top. From here he could see just how big the graveyard was, and it was massive, stretching out for what seemed like miles. A beautiful, melancholy place. Perfect for his last moments in life. Protected by the ancient graves, he would finally find peace. For a moment, he wondered whether anypony would find him here. And if somepony did, would that pony be Rarity? No matter, he told himself.

He grabbed the rope hanging from his shoulders, and started tying a strong knot on one end. He bent down over the top of the tree to fasten the rope, but then he caught sight of something. A small object, wedged into the broken end of a branch. From what he could see, Dust thought it to be some sort of black ring, big and completely flat. Like a big coin with a hole cut through the middle. He saw that something was engraved into it, but he couldn't make out what it was.

He lay his hand on it, and instantly felt a strange tingling spreading from his finger, up through his arm, coming to a stop somewhere in his chest. He tried to shake off the feeling, and pulled on the ring.

It didn't budge. He tried again, this time a little harder. But no matter how hard he pulled, the ring didn't move. Without knowing why he so badly wanted to get it loose, and without realizing his building anger, he let go of the tree with his other hand, placed it on the ring, and pulled with all his might.

The ring flung free, as if it never where stuck at all. Dust lost balance, and still holding the ring, he fell backwards. Plummeting through the air, all he could think was that he never would know what the strange ring was. He closed his eyes. And hit the ground.

Dust opened one eye. He saw the oaks dead branches reaching out towards the sky. No pain. Such a fall would break almost every bone in his body, but he felt fine. He sat up, looking at the ring, clenched in his hand. Did it... Did it save him somehow? No, that's crazy...

He brought his hand closer to his face, examining the strange, black ring. It had carvings in it. They were hard to make out in the dark, and Dust tried angling the ring against the moonlight. The markings shoved up, and he could see several figures.

An Earth pony, a Unicorn, a Pegasus and an Alicorn.

He looked up at the statues around the tree, to see if there were any resemblance between them and the ring. But the statues where all different species, and not a single Alicorn.

Confused, Dust held out his hand, instead looking at the odd ring from a distance. Nothing. Then, he tried holding it up towards the moon again, but this time he held it so that the moon shone straight through the hole in the middle. The markings started glowing in a bright red color.

He looked at it in awe, it was so beautiful. But his admiration changed into fear as he felt the ring started to get hot. He tried to drop it, but his hand wouldn't listen. Before his eyes, the world changed. The sky seemed to shrink and change color, the tombstones transformed into what looked like bodies, and the frozen grass disappeared into the ground. Breathing heavily in fear, Dust close his eyes. The cold wind was gone, replaced instead by a warm feeling. And then there was noise. Voices. Music.

He opened his eyes again. And what he saw almost made him yell out.

He was standing in a big room, covered in red drapes, big engraved mirrors and crystal chandeliers. The floor underneath his feet seemed to be made out of marble, with dark red patterns crisscrossing across the floor. The gravestones had taken the forms of hundreds of ponies, all dressed up in Victorian-era clothing. Flowing, frilled dresses and narrowly cut suits.

Everypony was matched up in pairs, and seemed to be about to start dancing. To his left, Dust saw a part of the room where the floor had been raised a few feet, and on it there where a band of musicians, stallions dressed in long suits, marine-blue in color with golden buttons, and tall hats. All of them had black coats and silver manes, and white, shining eyes. The pony in the middle, seemingly the maestro, looked at Dust, nodded and raised his hat at him.

And then the stallions started playing. A slow, sad melody rang out from the violins, and the ponies in the room all reacted as one. They grabbed their partner and moved onto the floor, slowly dancing a waltz to the sad melody. Dust stood dumbfounded in the middle of the dancing couples, not knowing what do to. And then he realized that he still held the ring in his hand. But for some reason he hadn't noticed earlier, his arm was stretched out to his right, and in his hand... There was no ring.

"Are you going to keep me waiting all night?" A familiar female voice asked.

The voice had come from the right, same direction as his hand... He turned to look.

Luna had her hoof in his hand, looking him smiling in his eyes. Dressed in a heavenly blue silk dress, she awaited her partner to dance with her. Unsure of what to do, Dust carefully did what he thought he was supposed to do: moved close to her, keeping his grip on her hoof, and placing his other hand round her waist.

She smiled, and they took off onto the ballroom floor. Even though Dust had never danced in his whole life, he seemed to know everything by heart. The music grew louder, as Luna’s eyes sparkled in the light from the chandeliers.

"Is this real?" Dust asked her doubtfully.

"You can make it real." Luna answered with a soothing voice.

"What do you mean..?"

"You have been betrayed," Luna whispered. "Tricked and deceived by the one you loved. I know, for I have seen it. I saw what she did to you, Dust. She ripped you in pieces."

She was right. Rarity did rip him in pieces, to say the least. But he didn't want to talk about it, and felt the tears build up again. Luna saw it in his eyes, and gently lay her head against his shoulder.

"Don't cry over her. That'll only make it worse. Besides, she never loved you anyway."

Dust almost pushed Luna off him when she uttered her last words. He felt anger building up inside him.

"How can you even say that?! You don't know anything!" he snapped at her.

"If she had loved you, then why did she do what she did?" Luna said with a cold voice. "You’re better off without that whore."

"Shut up!" Dust yelled, letting go of her.

Luna looked at him indifferently as he turned to walk away from her. He took a few steps into the crowd, but somehow, Luna had gotten around him and was standing in front of him, blocking his path. He gave her an angry look, and turned to take another way around her. But as he turned around, Luna stood right in front of him again.

"Get away from me!" he spouted into her face.

Without warning, Luna reached out and embraced him. He struggled at first, but eventually he felt his body going numb.

"You don't need her, Dust. She's nothing." Luna said quietly.

Not being able to resist anymore, he wrapped her arms around her and cried. She was right. Rarity had betrayed him, treated him like shit. She didn't love him.

"I have seen your innermost thoughts," Luna whispered. "I know what you really want."

Slowly, they started dancing again, picking up their pace as the music grew into a crescendo.

"Tell me Luna, how can you know that, when I don't even know myself?"

The music grew louder, almost defeating, as Luna let go off him. She slowly backed up into the dancing crowd.

"I know. Otherwise you and I wouldn't even be here...”

Her voice died down together with the music. He called out her name, tried to run after her. But she was gone.

Once again, Dust found himself in the old graveyard. The cold air hit him like a wave of water, sending shivers down his back. No trace could be found of what he'd just seen. A thick fog had rolled in over the cemetery, and the frosty grass looked more like shards of glass. Everything was quiet.

Luna was gone.

Dust still held the ring firmly in his hand.

And so it begins

A glass of water. A simple, unimportant object. Something everyone takes for granted, and never offers any thought. You pick up the glass, fill it with water, and gulp it down, not thinking about that specific drink ever again. You put the glass down on a counter, maybe a table, and forget about its existence.

It's just a glass, right?

But right now, that stupid glass of water ruled Dust's entire world. Sitting there on the opposite side of the table, filled with water up to the brim. It felt as if it was mocking him. Staring him down, refusing to move. Mocked by a fucking glass.

All he wanted to do was get up from his seat and smash it into pieces. Then perhaps pick up those pieces and smash them again, for good measure. But he couldn't. That would ruin everything he'd been trying the last couple of weeks. He had to stay focused. Focused on the glass on the other side, and his open hand in front of him.

Trying again, he closed his other hand around the ring, and envisioned the glass in his hand on the table. Nothing. He strained himself until the point that his hand was shaking, but still nothing. Sighing, Dust rubbed his eyes. He was doing something wrong, he was sure about it. He knew it would work somehow.

Again. Clutch the ring, focus on the glass. This time, he didn't really try. He was about to give up, and only gave a half-hearted attempt this time. Closing his eyes, he chuckled, disappointed. Then, a sound echoed throughout the room. The sound of scraping against wood. It grew somewhat in strength, before it suddenly stopped.

As he opened his eyes again, the glass had moved. Now standing in the middle of the table, and not a single drop of water had been spilt. He almost jumped from his seat, but contained himself to simply smiling wide. Something he hadn't done for a long, long time.

Relaxing again, he looked at the glass.

"Come here."

The glass skidded across the table at an impressive speed, coming to a stop perfectly wedged between his fingers and thumb. Slowly, Dust raised it to his lip, took a sip of water. Quickly getting up from his seat, he placed the glass on the opposite site of the table and did the same thing again. This time, the glass came to him almost instantly. He took another sip of water.

Dust repeated this routine again and again, until the glass only had a little bit of water left at the bottom. He got up from the chair and walked over to the window behind the recliner. Outside, everything was white. The snowfall was so heavy; he couldn't even see the tree line outside. He raised his glass, and lightly tapped it against the cold window.

"To success, Lady Winter." He emptied the glass.

Lady Winter. She comes once a year, shrouding the world in her cold embrace. Her wailing voice spreads through the wind. For some reason, Dust vaguely remembered something from his youth. When he was a kid, he'd seen some old cartoon on TV, and even though he didn't remember the name of it or what it was about, he still remembered... Her.

In the show, she wasn't called Lady Winter, but rather... What was it, the Ice Lady? No, Ice Princess? Something like that. She came every winter, spreading fear to everyone. She floated across the ground, creating a trail of ice behind her. Her chanting songs froze your blood to ice, same as if you came close to her. And all she wanted was to be loved, and not be lonely anymore.

And then another creature popped up in his mind. For years, he'd neglected the thought of it, but now it came back. A creature from the same show, similar to the Ice Princess, in that it wanted to be loved. Lonely, never speaking, she stood several feet over everyone else, simply staring at them. Her name, he remembered, was The Groke. Or "Mårran", as they called her in his country.

In his country... His home.

She had terrified him as a kid. He even refused to watch the show as soon as they even mentioned her. She gave him nightmares, and because of her, he feared the winter like nothing else. But now, winter was the only time at year he felt truly at peace. Strange, maybe his fear of the Groke actually helped him in realizing just how beautiful the winter really was?

Looking at the falling snow outside the window, he wondered if such a creature could actually exist in this new world... Feeling a chill down his back, he turned from the window and sat down in the couch instead. Just like he'd forgotten most of that show, a lot from his earlier life had disappeared from his mind. But every now and then, he still missed it. Missed his family... His younger brother. He should be around 17 by now, a young man. And he never got to see him grow into it.

Mattias. And Anton. The two brothers, almost inseparable from birth. Odd, since brothers almost always compete against each other, they were the complete opposite. When they both where young, they used to play out in the forest close to their home. They pretended to be knights in shining armor, killing off all evil from the land. He missed those days.

Sometimes, he missed his real name, Mattias, but when he came here, he decided on a new name. Not only because a name like his would sound strange in this world, he'd also wanted to be called Dust since he was a child. It was the name he had when he where a knight, out with his brother. And Anton had been Ash.

"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust" they had chanted whenever they killed their enemies. He missed his brother so much.

He felt his eyes water. This was the reason he tried to forget his former life; thinking about it was too painful. He wished Anton had been there, that he could have seen his older brother find the love of his life. Sure, he would have thought it strange, but still, he'd have seen his brother’s true happiness. He could have seen just how wonderful Rarity was...

"Fuck it.. Rarity.." Dust whispered, finally letting his tears fall freely.

He really did want her back, no matter what Luna had said. He didn't care anymore what she had done, he just wanted her back, to hold her and love her again. But it would be impossible. After 14 days, word where bound to spread. Rumors and gossip about him had probably already reached her ears. Of course she knew what he had did to that poor stallion that night. And the rumors where probably blown out of proportion, instead saying he tortured or mutilated him or god knows what they could come up with.

He was a killer. He had come to terms with that these last few weeks. Even though that guard haunted his dream, he had to forget about it. What's done is done. There's no going back. Did the stallion have a family? Foals? Probably. And in the blink of an eye, he'd taken their father away from them.

The glass dropped to the floor, shattering against the wooden floorboards. He rested his face in his hands and cried. He'd cried more during his time in Equestria than ever throughout his entire life. Happiness breeds sadness.

"You don't need that whore." A voice whispered.

Dust's face flew up from his hands, expecting to see somepony else, but there was no one there. The room was as quiet as ever.

"Hello..?" He asked hesitantly. "Who said that..?"

"Over here!" The voice called out next to him.

He felt its breath against his face, and he fell backwards in fear, tumbling over the couch and falling hard into the floor behind it. Groaning, he slowly got back up. Looking over the couch, he couldn't see anyone or anypony.

".. Who's there..? Show yourself!" He shouted as he got back up on his feet.

Then, he felt someone tugging on his left shoulder.

"It's just me, Dust." Luna's voice whispered in his ear.

Before he could answer, someone else tugged on his right shoulder as well.

"It's just me, love." Another voice spoke in his ear, this one belonging to Rarity.

Scared out of his mind, Dust ran for the door. Flinging it open, he took a few steps into the biting cold wind, but then stopped dead in his tracks. He could see the tree line now, and something moving between the trees. He understood what he saw, but it couldn't be real, there was no way. Approaching from the trees, a tall, quiet figure slowly became visible. He saw her broad mouth with shining white teeth, and her soulless white eyes.

Seeing his childhood nightmare in reality, he almost fell to his knees. Shaking, he quickly spun around, ran inside and slammed the door shut. As he locked the door, the two voices came upon him again.

"You don't need that whore!" they both shouted in unison into his ears.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled back, covering his hears and cowering on the floor. But he still heard the voices, and they became more and more agitated.

"KILL HER!" The voices screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Get out of my mind!" Dust yelled, shaking and trembling, feeling like a child at the mercy of his bullies.

Silence. The voices had disappeared. Slowly, Dust removed his hands from his ears, starting to calm down. He got up in a sitting position with his back against the door, still shivering a bit. But then, remembering what might be outside of the door, he jumped up from the floor, and hurried into the kitchen, grabbing a rather big knife from the counter.

With it in his hand, ready to strike, he took a few steps towards the door. Leaning in, he put his ear against it, but all he could hear was the howling of the wind. Against his better judgment, dreading what he'd find, he grabbed the doorknob, twisting it in his hand. The look clicked, and holding his breath, he threw the door open. A whirlwind of snow hit him, and he stabbed into the white fog in fear.

The snow disappeared after only a few seconds, leaving the front of his house open to his sight. But that... thing... wasn't there. Dust took a few uncertain steps outside, looking around the tree line for any movement, but there was nothing. He walked around the house, but all was quiet.

After sitting by the open fireplace for a while, he decided to try out the ring some more. If he could get a glass to move, he could probably move something bigger. He lay down on the couch, trying to relax. Without actually focusing on any specific object, he only tried to gather as much energy as he could, and see where he could direct it. His fingertips tingled. But nothing else happened.

Ponyville looked so different at winter than during the summer. The biggest difference was that the streets where much less crowded. Dust didn't mind, in fact it suited him perfectly. The fewer ponies, less risk of getting into a fight. If the ponies hated him before, he couldn't even begin to imagine what they felt about him now. Walking down the street, he spotted something bright and pink far of in the distance. Probably just some random pony out for a walk.

He didn't care about the pink pony. He had no desire to talk to it, no reason to go and meet it. As he turned down a street to his right, he glanced one last time at the pony. Before his line of sight was cut off by a building, he saw the pony bouncing around like crazy. For a moment, he thought to himself that it must be a junkie, hopped up on something. But, drugs didn't exist in Equestria. Or did they?

His mind wandered as he went through different possibilities around it, but before he could come to any interesting conclusion, he saw his destination. In the distance, he saw a tall building, towering over all the other houses. Dressed in all manners of different white, purple and pink colors, and with mannequins of ponies decorating the top of the house.

Rarity’s home.

He turned his gaze to the door, trying not to look at the mannequins. They freaked him out, always had. Not just mannequins, but dolls in general. Rarity had insisted on having mannequins in his house, and that had evolved into their first real argument. But finally, he gave in.

It was impossible for him to stay mad at her, so he let her keep the mannequin in the living room. Never in the bedroom. Never. Not only did it creep him out, he didn't want that thing watching him and Rarity when they...

Pushing his thoughts aside, he knocked on the door. Hurried hoof steps could be heard from behind the door, and then a lock clicked, and the door opened.

"He-... Oh, Dust." Rarity’s face had changed the moment she saw it was him.

"Yeah, oh Dust to you too. Can I come in?" Dust answered quickly.

"Um, I don't... Maybe, I-I...” Rarity stuttered, seemingly worried, taken by surprise by Dust's sudden visit.

"Calm down, Rarity. Firstly, whatever you've heard about me, it's probably true. What I did was stupid, and I deserve to burn in hell for it. I just couldn't control myself, and it just happened, I-I.." Dust stumbled over his words.

Rarity looked at him with an expression he didn't understand, but then she moved aside, allowing Dust to enter. He heard the door closing behind him, but he didn't turn around. Instead, He looked around the room. More mannequins. Great.

"Rarity, I...” He began, looking at the mannequins. ".. I don't care what you did. Not anymore."

"So... you forgive me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Rare. I just hope you can forgive me for what I did... I know it's so much worse than what you did."

"Dust, you.."

"I understand if you hate me. Well anyway, I'm going to give you some time to think about it... You don't need to answer it right now. In the meantime...” Dust reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. Turning around, he handed it over to Rarity. "What do you think?" He asked.

Rarity had an uncertain look on her face as she walked up to Dust and took a look at the parchment.

"Um... It's a rather... unusal design...” she said, looking over all the details in the sketch.

"Yeah, maybe for a pony" Dust said, "But not for a human. See, we call it trench coat. Or long coat, duster, robe, whatever you want. But it's quite similar to your cloaks. Think you can do it?" He looked Rarity in her eyes. He just wanted to lean in and kiss her...

"I could try...” Rarity answered, "Any specific details, fabric or any... thing..?" Her voice died down as she looked back up into Dust's eyes.

They stood silent for a few seconds, looking at each other. Since Rarity was much shorter than Dust, and only reached up to his hips, he squatted down, in order to get face-to-face with her. It felt like hours that they stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. Finally, they both moved forward, about to kiss. Dust placed his hand on her neck. He'd missed her soft mane so much...

Moving closer together, inch by inch. They were so close that Dust could see his own face reflecting in her big, blue eyes. And then their lips met.

For the first time in weeks, Dust finally got to show his love for her again. He wanted to stay in this kiss forever. He felt Rarity’s hooves moving up to his shoulders as her kissing became a bit more exited. His vision was filled with purple light as her horn lit up right in front of his eyes. He felt it tugging at his clothes.

"Rare, wait...” He said, breaking the kiss. "Not now."

"Why not?" Rarity asked with a longing, disappointed look on her face.

"Well... you need to take my measures for the coat first." Dust carefully laughed, getting up from the floor and quickly grabbing a tape measure from a nearby table.

He laughed as he dangled it in front if Rarity’s eyes, the way you dangle a toy in front of a cat. Rarity rolled her eyes and scoffed, but then she started to laugh as well, grabbing the tape measure in her mouth and pulling it out of Dust's hand.

Moving over to a corner of the room, Dust positioned himself inside a half-circle of mirrors, as Rarity began her work.

"You know," he said as she measured his arms. "I was thinking something warm, like wool. Black wool. Think you can work with that?"

Rarity answered with only a "Mhm.", measuring his shoulders.

"And, uh... some extra details. Like metal rings, clamps, buckles... maybe some lacing." Dust continued.

Rarity raised her eyebrows at his words, but didn't stop her measuring. Dust watched her in silence until she was done. Placing the tape measure down on a nearby table, she turned again to Dust, opening her mouth to speak.

"Dust... can I ask you something?" She said, almost whispering.

Dust answered by nodding.

"Well... All this time we've known each other, and never ever have you mentioned... your world. Where you came from."

"I really don't want to think about it." Dust admitted. "When I left, everything was a mess... I would not be surprised if that world is gone now...”

His voice died down as he once again had to remember his friends and family, his brother. Thinking that they might all be dead now. He managed to hold his tears back this time, though.

"What do you mean...’gone'?" Rarity asked.

Dust sighed, and walked over to the nearest wall. He leaned his back against it, and sank down onto the floor. Somewhat hesitantly, Rarity joined him, sitting down next to him, carefully resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure if you would understand Rare," Dust said. "Equestria is so different from... Earth. The main difference I say is the fact that you have Celestia and... Luna. Two living goddesses, governing the world. There is no real religion or ideology, because you all know the sisters are real, you have no need to "believe" in them. On Earth, it's quite the opposite... thousands of religions and ideaologies, all of them claiming that their god or goddess is the only real one. And since the dawn of mankind, we have killed each other over it. Over thoughts. You understand, right? We kill other human beings simply because they think differently. I'll never understand it myself... It's just madness."

Dust paused to catch his breath. Rarity didn't interrupt him or say anything, just listened with an unsure look on her face.

"Anyway, I don't know about all religions, only a few... I guess the biggest one was Christianity. I think. Then there where Jews, Muslims, Islamism, Buddha, catholic... but that might just be another name for Christians, I really don't know. Can’t think of any other right now though...”

"But that doesn't explain what you said...” Rarity whispered. She now not only had her head rested on his shoulder, she was leaning her entire body unto him.

"I'm getting to that." Dust answered in a low voice. "Quick question, how do you count years in Equestria? Oh, well never mind. Humans had only been around for about two thousand years when I left so... I left 2015, and that's two years ago now... Anyway, during these thousands of years, mankind has waged wars against each other over these beliefs. Of course, with evolution and science came deadlier weapons... The first really massive war began sometime in the early 1900's, 1914, I think... I'm not too great at history. We called it World war one. Then, in 19... Late 1930's I think, the Second World War erupted. And that became mankind’s darkest chapter... Thousands of people slaughtered like animals because of their beliefs. And when I left, 2015, Earth stood on the brink of a third world war... the major difference this time was the Nuklear bombs. Powerful missiles, strong enough to completely wipe any city of the map, killing everything and everyone..."

He paused, wiping some tears from his eyes.

"And you think... they used these... bombs?" Rarity said slowly.

Dust nodded.

"Complete annihilation. Earth may well be just a charred corpse by now. And the same goes for all my friends and family... I've never told you about them, have I? My mom's name was Cecilia, and dad... Mattias. And I'm named after him. So my real name is Mattias, not Dust. And then there was my brother, Anton... He... he was younger than me. Five years. My brother might just be a burnt corpse now...”

"Do you miss them?"

"Every day. But I try not to think about them. When I think too much, I just break down crying again."

Rarity tucked her forelegs around him, nuzzling his shoulder.

"Rare, there's something I want to tell you... But I don't know if now is the right moment...”

"Tell me, I'll listen to whatever you say Darlin'." She whispered softly into his ear.

".. That day that... you know. I was about to ask you something that day...”

Rarity looked at him with wondering eyes. He took in some air, tried to focus on what he was about to admit. A few words that could either repair or ruin everything. A confession that would change both of their futures.

"Don't tell her. She'll only hurt you again." Luna's voice echoed in his head again.

Dust tensed up, afraid that Rare heard it as well. But she seemed as if she hadn't heard a single word, still waiting for him to tell her.

"I-I... Never mind" he exhaled. "I'll tell you another time. Perhaps when you're finished with my robe? You could come over to my place again. I'll cook dinner, get some candles, light up the fireplace...” He looked into her eyes, kissing her again. "And after that, maybe we could...’catch up'?"

"Maybe...” Rarity answered whispering. "Or we could just do it right here on the floor." She added, grinning at him.

"As you wish, my Lady." Dust said chuckling, and kissed her again.

"She will hurt you. Betray you. Lie."

Luna stood above him, looking down on him and the body in his arms. Dust was crying, yelling incoherently, slowly rocking back and forth.

"She did this!" Luna thundered and pointed her hoof at Dust and the body of his brother he was holding in his arms. Cradling him.

"And she will do the same to you as well, Dust! She only wants to see you suffer!"

Dust had no answers. All he could do was cry. Cry, scream, cry and scream. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Yet the mangled body of Anton was as real as himself, blood leaking from multiple stab wounds spread out across the skinny body, soaking Dust's clothes, pooling up on the floor around them.

"Rarity will kill you, unless you do something." Luna spoke once again.

"What-what... s-hould I do..?" Dust managed to let out between his sobs.

"Fear not Dust, as long as I'm with you, she can’t hurt you." Luna answered with a much lower voice.

She sat down next to Dust placing her hoof on his hand, the hand that pressed against one of Anton's many wounds. Dust was confused as to what she was doing.

"I know what you really want...” Luna said quietly.

"Then tell me what it is!" Dust finally yelled back at her. "You torment me, haunt my dreams and won’t leave me alone! Tell me, so that I may be rid of you!"

Luna's face stayed the same. Apparently, his screaming didn't affect her.

"Me."

The moment she uttered the word, Anton shook violently, opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs. Dust yelled out in surprise, doing his best to try and comfort his brother, but the boy only kept on screaming, trying to get up, trying to fling his arms around them both. The blood from his wounds sprayed across them, not adding much more to Dust's already soaked clothes, but instead ruining Luna's coat with dark stains.

"Darlin', what are you doing?"

Dust looked up, and he felt fear consume him as Rarity, covered from horn to hoof in fresh blood, stepped into the room. Fresh, crimson blood. His brothers blood...

She spoke in a soothing voice as she kept on talking.

"You have to let him go, sweetie. How am I supposed to be your wife if you keep clinging to that pathetic, mutilated boy?"

Anton yelled even louder as Rarity’s eyes met his. He became frantic, trying to get away, almost hitting Dust to get free. But when Dust wrapped his arms around him, the young boy stopped struggling, and only sobbed loudly into his brother’s chest. And then, a loud crack echoed across the room. Anton’s sobbing stopped in an instant, his head falling backwards in an unnatural position as purple magic twisted his neck.

Dust yelled his brother’s name through his tears, trying in vain to wake him up. As the purple magic tore the boy from his arms, he felt as if he had just been ripped from his own soul. Crying and shouting, he saw Rarity’s magic bend the boy’s body with loud cracks as every bone in him broke under the force of her magic.

As she threw the body hard into the wall, Dust threw himself at Luna, almost the same way Anton had clinged to him. For protection, for safety.

Rarity’s eyes wandered off to Luna.

"And who's this..? Dust, have you been cheating on me with this whore?"

Her horn lit up again, and this time, the magic targeted Dust himself. He cried like a baby as it slowly tore him away from Luna, who tried her best not to let him go. He dug his fingers into her legs until his nails teared through her skin. Both of them where yelling and crying, refusing to let the other go.

"Dust, no!" Luna shouted when his grip on her leg gave way.

The magic lifted him slowly into the air, paralyzing him. But he could still hear Luna’s cries of pain as the magic affected her as well. He felt pressure around his ribcage. Unable to scream in pain due to the magic, he could only helplessly watch as his ribs broke and tore out of his chest.

The last thing he saw before the world disappeared, was Luna. Tears in her eyes from pain, as she whispered three words to him.

Then he didn't feel any more pain.

"Me."

He really didn't know how much longer he could take this. These nightmares would drive him crazy eventually... Dust got up from his bed and walked out into the living room. Every night it was the same thing: Rarity trying to harm or kill him, and Luna protecting him. It had all been so vivid and alive; he was starting to doubt that they were ordinary dreams. Maybe Luna actually was trying to warn him.

But there was more to it than that. In every dream, Luna kept repeating herself; saying that he didn't need Rarity, that he instead needed her. That she never would betray him and hurt him like Rarity did. And now in this last dream, she had said that she loved him before he woke up. Nothing made any sense.

But if any of these dreams where "real" warnings, then why didn't Luna just come here and tell him in person? Furthermore, why would she have feelings for him..?

Not that it mattered if she did, anyway. When spring came, she would be married.

Odd really. He worried more about his dreams than the ring hanging around his neck in a string. He'd already given up trying to figure out what it was and where it came from. It belonged to him now, and with it connected to his body this way, it gave him power. Mostly telekinesis, moving the glass and other small objects, but that could be really helpful sometimes.

Something as simple as cooking breakfast right now, as an example. While getting dressed, he could use the rings magic to cook at the same time. Maybe this is how it feels to be a unicorn, he thought to himself as he ate his meal, flipping through the pages of an old book with his magic.

It was a rather old book that Rarity had given to him. She claimed one of her friends, who apparently owned a library, had helped her pick it out. Dust oftentimes wondered where this library where. He wouldn't mind some more books, he was getting bored of this one, seeing as it was his only one and he'd read it countless times.

It wasn't really a spectacular book; a big dressed in leather with some patterns imprinted along the sides. There was no title on the cover, but it was just a book about Equestrian history. For some reason, the part that interested him the most was that about the banishing of Princess Luna, or rather Nightmare Moon, as she was referred to in the book, to the moon.

Reading about Celestia making the choice to send her sister away, he remembered something Luna had said a long time ago... That day after the accident.

"I only wish my sister would have done the same...”

Maybe, Dust thought, Celestia wasn't the kind-hearted all-loving princess the ponies thought her to be. And considering Luna's punishment, she if anypony would know.

That day when he woke up in the street, only Luna had been there for him, nopony else had helped him. Celestia hadn't showed up until Luna called for her, so did that mean she was busy, or just... Didn't care? Because he was human?

.. If she was so coldhearted that she could banish her own sister for a thousand years, this didn't really sound all that farfetched. Maybe she was just a bitter old mare, and perhaps she hated humans. Or every species besides Ponies... Luna would know.

But then he remembered what Luna had said in his dream again. Those three words he'd only ever heard Rarity say to him. And on that day, she had helped him when he was dying. She saved his life, even though her sister, and probably nopony else cared about him. Maybe... What she said in the dream was true?

No, that would be impossible, that was the first time they'd seen each other. But then again, that's how he met Rarity... She said she fell in love with him the same day they met. Could Luna..?

No, of course not. It was just stupid thinking that. She's a princess, a goddess, and she would never care about someone as him, someone so far down in class.

His thoughts went around each other, spiraling like crazy, trying to piece everything together. But he became none the wiser by his endless thoughts. Finally, he decided it was no use. He had no hope of understanding what all this meant, he would have to wait for the answer. Just like he was waiting for Rarity to come here with his new coat. She said she would come over today, and he planned on spending the day cleaning up for her return.

Although, with the help of his magic it only took him about half an hour to clean the entire house, and Rarity still wouldn't be here for a few hours. So with nothing else to do, he decided on taking a walk. It'd been a while since last time now, and he figured he could try out what else his magic where capable of. He left a note on the table, writing he was out for a walk, in case Rarity came early.

After a quiet walk through the thick layer of snow, Dust had found his way back to the old cemetery. An endless field of white, broken only by the gravestones sprouting out of the snow. Spotting the big oak far away, he got an idea of how to test the magic’s power once and for all. If it worked, it would mean he carried an incredible power around his neck.

Shuffling his way through the snow between the graves, it took him considerably more time to get to the tree than last time he came here. He tripped a few times, falling face down in the cold snow, but quickly got up again, brushing of the snow. And finally, he saw the half-circle of pony statues in front of him.

He walked up to them, examined them. At first, he saw nothing special, but as he walked up to one of the unicorns, something odd caught his gaze. Taking a closer look he could see that the part of the statues head that depicted closed eyelids had been broken apart. Chiseled out, creating hollow openings where the eyes should be.

Why would someone destroy the statue in that way? Dust looked up at the pony, and then stretched out his hand; put his hand over the pony’s face. The stone was cold, rough against his palm and fingertips.

"KILL HER!"

Dust tore his hand away from the statue with such force he flew backwards into the snow. The top layer flew up around him like a cloud, settling down over him like a white, cold blanket. Shaking, he stared at the statue. It looked perfectly normal again. That voice again. But this time, it wasn't Luna's voice, it was... something else. It sounded more like a male, deep voice. And he was sure he saw the mouth of the statue move. Yet now, everything was quiet.

Trying not to think about it anymore, Dust got up, turning his head away from the statues. Even though the voice had startled him, he told himself that nothing here could hurt him, especially not statues. The cold stone could do nothing against him. He wiped the snow from his thin jacket as he approached the big oak again. Climbing all the way up there again wouldn't be easy, and with the snow covering the branches it would be even more difficult.

But he had to try.

The place where he found the ring was his only lead as to what it was or where it came from. He needed to know.

Grabbing the same branch as the last time, he heaved his way up. But only after that little struggle, his hands started to freeze bad. He tried shaking it off, climbing upwards as fast he could. By the time Dust had reached the top yet again, he couldn't feel his hands anymore. His fingers were so cold they were impossible to even move, and the fingertips had started to swell up a bit.

Ignoring the freezing pain, he looked down at the cross-shaped branches in front of him. Nothing unusual, just the broken ends, covered in snow and frost. He tucked his sleeve around his hand and did his best to push away the snow on the branch farthest to the left, to see if there were any traces of the ring. But the snow had frozen, and he only got the top layer off.

He tried to break the frozen layer with his hand, but it was too hard and he only hurt his hand more. Giving up, Dust looked out across the graveyard. It looked exactly the same as that night, except the snow of course. When he didn't see anything interesting, he decided that he now was the time to test the power of the ring.

Since it hung around his neck, he didn't need to grab it in his hand, all he had to do... was jump. It was so easy really. Just a little push with his legs, and he would be in the air. If the ring was powerful enough, it would break his fall. If not... He at least hoped the snow would make the landing a bit softer. But it would still hurt. Probably a lot.

".. What am I doing?" Dust sighed.

Taking in a long breath of air, he readied himself. No point in prolonging it anymore. He tried to relax, tried to find any calm thoughts.

And jumped.

He sailed through the air, and his heart skipped a beat. He was flying, he was weightless, he was... And then the ground rushed towards him. His mind tried to grab ahold of anything related to flight. Birds, wind, Pegasi, anything. Luna.

He felt the air around him change, getting warmer. His descent slowed down a little bit, but not enough. Dust hit the ground hard, and the moment he did, he threw himself forward, doing his best to roll, to even out the damage. But there was no damage. No pain. Looking back at where he landed, he saw that the snow was intact. Not a trace after his landing.

He smiled, and yelled in triumph. Even though he had fallen, the ring had shielded him from any harm again. And since the snow was untouched, perhaps the ring made him weightless just the moment he hit ground. If the fall was longer, maybe he'd actually be able to take flight. He imagined the endless possibilities he had if he could take to the skies...

Returning home, he saw to his surprise that there where smoke coming out of the chimney. Probably Rarity, he thought. Before he opened the door, he brushed some snow of his shoulders and did his best to make his hair look good. Didn't want to look like some filthy tramp in front of Rarity.

He opened the door and stepped inside, looking towards the open fireplace to see if Rarity was waiting for him. But instead, he was taken aback by a tall stranger standing in front of him, looking at him. A human.

Staring him down, completely dressed in black and with a hood covering its face...

"Oh, um... Rare?" Dust said with a somewhat trembling voice. "Did... did you make that mannequin just for my coat?"

He saw her head shooting up from the couch, and she looked at him with a somewhat guilty face.

"Yeah... Sorry, did it scare you?" She asked hesitantly.

Dust walked up to the couch, but keeping his distance from the mannequin.

".. A little." He admitted as he sat down in the recliner next to the couch. "But I still think the pony mannequin is creepier." he added, smiling.

"Don't sit down now," Rarity said with a snapping tone. "I've been working on this thing like crazy. Get up and try it, love!"

Dust gave her a look, trying to fake being annoyed. He walked up to the mannequin, and did his best not to look at its head. Didn't want to see that featureless face. He unhooked the clasps holding it shut, and carefully slid it of the mannequin’s shoulders.

"Maybe you'll get to do this on me tonight.." He said with a low voice. He smiled as he heard Rarity trying to hold back a squeak and laugh.

He flipped the coat around in his hands, moved his arms around himself in a swinging, circular movement, draping it over his shoulders. He closed the clasps, tried his best to smooth out some irregularities in the cloth, and then turned around to Rarity.

"How do I look?" He asked, pulling the hood up over his face.

"It's perfect, dear." Rarity answered. "Fits you like a glove. And a bit mysterious."

"Oh yeah?" Dust laughed as he quickly positioned himself next to the mannequin, trying to mimic its stance. "Guess which is the real one."

Rarity laughed at him, and looked at the mannequin.

"Well, that one looks kind of pretty." She said with a grin.

"Wrong, my lady." Dust said. Putting his arm around the mannequin’s shoulders, he pointed at it and continued. "This guy is not pretty. In fact, he's downright creepy. I keep thinking he's going to move or something. He probably hangs around in bushes, looking at small fillies. Sick bastard."

Dust slapped the mannequin over its face, and Rarity laughed hard at it.

"Not only that, madam, this man is completely, utterly and totally boring. And he doesn't have a face."

They both laughed, and Dust let go of the mannequin, sitting down on the couch next to Rarity.

"Or the most beautiful, wonderful mare in the world." he added slowly, giving Rarity a quick kiss.

They kissed in silence for a while, before Rarity broke the kiss.

"You said you were going to tell me something important today, Dust." She said with an uncertain voice. "Maybe this isn't the best time, but... mind telling me what it was? I'm sorry, I'm just curios, darlin'."

"Alright." Dust answered. ”Best to just get it over with... That day when... that 'thing' happened. I was going to ask you to... be mine. My mare."

"But I already am yours, Dust...” Rarity began, but Dust interrupted her before she could finish.

"Yes, but... I was going to ask you to marry me, Rare." he said, letting his head drop down, fixating his eyes on the floor.

Rarity’s eyes widened and she held back a small squeak.

"You... what?!" She said. "Really? You want me as your wife?"

Dust nodded slowly.

"It just feels right, you know." he whispered. "My world might be gone, and my family too. So in a manner of speaking, you are my only family now. And I felt it was time to really make you a part of that family...”

He turned his head to look at Rarity. She had one of her hooves over her mouth, and her eyes sparkled as tears welled up in them.

"I just wish my brother could have been here to see all this. See you." Dust added.

"Oh, sweetie...” Rarity said, hugging him close. "I know you miss him, but you need to forget him. To move on. I'm your family now...”

Dust's mind bent over itself. Remembering his latest dream, he looked at Rarity with a frown.

"What did you just say..?" He exhaled.

"If I’m going to be your wife, you have to forget them. Your life is here now, with me. You need to let that brother of yours go."

Dust almost pushed her off, but managed to stay still. It was just like his dream. She wasn't using the exact same words, but she still said the same thing. He remembered Luna's words. She was right. Luna was right. Rarity wanted to hurt him.

"You expect me to just throw away my memories of the only other person I've ever loved? Is that what you want?" He said angrily.

Rarity gave him a frightened look, opening her mouth to try and explain. Dust let go of her, standing up. Looking down at her, he yelled right at her.

"If you loved me, you would have been able to accept my past!" he spouted at her with anger in his eyes.

He didn't realize just how strong his anger was, or why it came so suddenly. He didn't feel like himself as he kept on shouting.

"You want to hurt me, is that it?! Want to take away all my happiness so that you can have it yourself?!"

"No, I-I, Dust, I-"

He slapped her across the face.

The sound of skin meeting skin, muffled by fur. Nothing more than a loud thud. But it was enough to send Rarity sailing down unto the floor.

She looked up at him, tears covering her face. He could see the blush on her cheek through her coat. For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then, Rarity got to her hooves.

"You... fucking... bastard!" She yelled at Dust. "Don't you dare lay a single hand on me ever again!"

She got up on her hind legs, punching Dust in the chest as she kept on yelling. He couldn't even make out half of her words.

"How can I marry you, you sick fuck! You only care about yourself and your pathetic brother!"

Dust pushed her off of him. Hard. She flew backwards across the room, landing on the small table behind them. She yelled out in pain, rolling over to her side and falling unto the floor. But she didn't get up. She stayed down on the floor, one of her legs twisted in an unnatural way. She sobbed loudly, trying to crawl away from him.

Dust was unable to think. His mind had gone blank, disappearing far away. He stepped over her, reached down and lifter her up in her undamaged leg. She cried out loudly as he did.

"You know what you are?" He said with a wheezing voice. "You’re nothing but a selfish, stuck-up, cheating, backstabbing whore!"

He threw her backwards again. This time she hit the wall next to the fireplace. She fell to the floor with a loud thud. Crying even louder, she put her undamaged leg up over her face as a shield as Dust looked down on her.

He brought his fist down on her. And again. The unicorn cried in pain as Dust threw punch after punch unto her small body. Blood sprayed out of her mouth as he hit her face, and her head twisted sideways. Her horn hit the wall hard, and Rarity yelled at the top of her lungs as she more heard than felt a loud crack.

Dust eventually stopped his barrage of punches. He panted heavily as he looked into the mares half closed eyes.

Rarity’s vision faded. With the last of her strength, she moved her hoof, reaching it up towards Dust's face. She tried to touch his cheek, one last time. Before her world disappeared, she wanted to feel him again. The man she loved more than anything.

Her eyes closed. Her leg fell limp, hitting the ring around Dust's neck in the process. The string broke, and the ring landed on the floor next to Rarity’s body.

Something In Dust's brain snapped back into place. Looking down on the lifeless body in front of him, he realized what he'd done. He got down on his knees, grabbed Rarity, shook her, and yelled at her.

"Rare! No, no no, NO! Please, Rare, please, wake up! Wake up, damnit!"

But she didn't. Her eyes were closed, and her chest didn't move. No breathing.

"Come on Rare, don't do this to me!" Dust yelled out. "Please! Rare, love, sweetie, I'm so sorry! Get up! This can't be happening!"

He pulled her up from the floor, pressing her against his chest. Holding her close, He screamed and cried.

"Come on, Rare! I love you, you can't do this! Please, please, wake UP! RARITY!"

But she remained silent.

Power

The black smoke rose high into the black night sky. The flames stood high, spreading its warmth and bright light around the area like a giant bonfire. Watching from his spot behind the tree line, Dust saw his new life burn away. Everything he'd built up with Rarity, everything gone. He pulled his hood over his face as the smoke descended upon him, the smell of burning wood and something... more sweet. Or maybe sour. He couldn't decide which one. But he knew where it came from.

As the cottage ceiling gave way, a series of thundering cracks reached his ears. Dust couldn't take it anymore. It was too much for him.

Turning around, he disappeared into the forest.

Time had stopped as he held Rarity’s body in his arms. A beautiful, wonderful mare. And he destroyed her.

He'd tried to get life into her again, but nothing worked. Her body had already gone cold. Picking her up gently, her legs and head hung from his hands, swaying back and forth. He put her down on her side on the couch. Putting a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body, she looked as if she was sleeping.

"There you go, honey...” He whispered as he gently stroked her cold mane. "Sleep well, my love. When you wake up, we could start furnishing together. You can have as many mannequins as you want. Whatever you wish for, I'll give you."

He sat down next to her, laying himself down behind her. Laying his arm around her, he pressed himself close in a tender embrace.

"I'm so sorry I slapped you... I promise, it won't happen again."

Stroking one of her forelegs slowly, he eventually grabbed her hoof in his hand. Holding her close, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You're so cold... you must be freezing."

Resting the side of his face on her head, he pulled her closer, trying to warm the frail little body.

"Rarity?" He asked. "You know I'll always love you, right?" He whispered into her ear, pulling up the blankets higher.

"I'm so sorry...” He began whispering, tears building up in his eyes. ".. I never meant to hurt you. I don't know what happened to me... I'm so sorry, Rare."

Slowly, he let go of her, and sat up in the couch again. Looking down on her face again, he gently stroked her chin, moving some of her mane away from her eyes.

"This... This is wrong. This isn't the way it was supposed to end...” His voice failed him. "We were supposed to be husband and wife, live a happy life. Kids.. Our children."

He got up from the couch, looking over the room. Stopping at where Rarity fell, he saw something long and white on the floor.

Her horn.

It couldn't just stay there on the ground. It needed to be with her, where it belonged. Dust took a few steps over to it, bent down and picked it up. He didn't even remember how he broke it. Or if he did at all. He got up quickly and hurried back to Rarity. He placed the horn down on the couch next to her face.

Dust got down on his knees on the floor, looked into her face. Then leaned his head in and gave her one last kiss. His lips stained red from the blood still dripping from her mouth.

"I'm sorry, sweetie...” He started crying again. He'd been holding it back, only letting a few tears slip out, but now he couldn't hold it back anymore.

".. Please answer me. Please get up. I'm sorry, please...”

Even though he knew she wouldn't wake up, he still had to try. Deep down in him, he was hoping this was just another one of his nightmares. That he would wake up in his bed next to a snoozing Rarity, alive and well. He just had to try and wake her, and maybe it would all stop...

He removed the blankets from her body, reaching down and picking her up in his arms. He held her close and continued to cry loudly. Dust went towards the door, opened it and stepped out into the cold night.

"Hello? Anypony?! Please, I need help!"

But nopony answered his cries.

Hugging Rarity closer, he set of into the darkness. Running as fast as he could, he headed for Canterlot. He could get help there; Rarity would be alright if he could get there. The snow was thick, making it almost impossible to walk, but Dust pressed on. Just a little further, just a little faster, and everything would be alright.

She would get help, get better, and forgive him. They would get married and live happily ever after. That's how the story always ends, not like this. Don't give up, keep on going. But his legs gave way under the cold, and he tumbled to the ground. Rarity slipped from his grip, landing in the snow right next to him.

It was no use. He couldn't move anymore. Dust dug his hand through the snow until he found Rarity, and grabbed unto the first part of her he found. Looking up into the sky, he saw the moon shining through the dead treetops.

"... Help... LUNA!" he yelled out in the night. "Anyone! Celestia! Luna, help her!"

Silence.

"Rarity, my love... Please, don't leave me...”

The shadows surrounded him as he walked further into the forest. The bright light from the burning cottage had disappeared, but he still felt the smell. It had been so easy. Unlike when he'd spent weeks trying to get that glass to move, he merely had to envision fire, and hot flames sprouted up around him. Maybe this ring was meant for destruction.

The sun rose in the east when Dust finally returned. Spreading its bright rays of light over the burnt down skeleton of his cottage. His life. The snow was stained in black soot and ashes, and all that remained of the house was a few charred wooden planks that refused to give in to the flames, and the fireplace.

The fire had turned it black. Dust held his breath as he approached the smoldering ruin. Grey smoke still rose from the ground. Oddly enough, the main door was still standing. Partially burnt and black, some spots of red embers still burnt in the frame. Dust reached out and grabbed the handle. Pressing it down, it fell to pieces in his hand.

The door slowly turned a few inches on its hinges, until the frame snapped and it fell into the ashen ground. Dust stepped over it, entering what used to be his living room. His feet sank down deep in the ashes.

"Honey, I'm home...” He whispered as he looked towards the fireplace. The couch had completely disappeared in the flames. Looking to his right, he saw part of a black mannequin head breaking the surface of the ash. Its ears and snout had been consumed by the fire, leaving a strange head looking more like some disgusting, melting monster, than a pony.

Stepping through the ashes towards the bedroom, Dust no longer felt any pain in his heart. His sadness had burnt away together with his house.

He'd moved the bed to the middle of the room before the fire started. But now it was gone, no trace of it could be found. Devoured by the flames, and along with it... Rarity. She was gone now.

Examining more of the burnt down ruin, he eventually stumbled upon something partially covered in the ashes. Instantly, he recognized the shape and red color of it. He picked it up, brushing the soot off of it. Rarity’s glasses. Somehow, they'd survived to fire; even the glass was still intact. He held them tight in his hands, afraid to lose them.

"Drift away." He whispered. "Away from this world. I hope you're in a better place now, sweetie. I'll join you soon, I promise."

Dust let himself fall backwards. Sailing through the air, landing with a soft thud in the ashes. It covered his entire body, and because his hood covered his face, he could still breathe, even though he was buried completely. A cocoon of Ashes. A coffin of Shadows.

Was this the end? Would he die now, reunite with Rarity in eternity? He would have to stay here a long time. What would kill him first? Starvation? Dehydration? Suffocation or just the cold? He didn't care. It could take as much time it wanted to, it didn't matter to him.

"Dream on."

Dust's heart skipped a beat. The voice again. Only this time, it wasn't in his head, it was right next to him. It sounded like Luna, but also somewhat distorted.

"Leave me in peace." Dust said, hardly opening his mouth.

"No." The voice answered.

Dust didn't answer. He wouldn't let this ruin anything again.

"I can't leave you in peace, for you have entered my realm. It's rather you who should leave me in peace." The voice spoke slowly.

"Your realm?" Dust asked.

"The realm of eternal night. Kingdom of shadows. And power."

Dust felt the ring around his neck vibrate slightly as the voice spoke, but he stayed silent. The voice didn't say anything else.

"What are you?" Dust finally asked.

He turned his head gently to the left, to not disturb the ashes covering him. A pair of big blue eyes stared at him through the darkness.

"I'm whatever you want me to be." The voice hissed. "I'm whatever your heart, body and mind desire."

".. You're Luna." Dust said. "Why her?"

"You know why." The blue eyes narrowed as it answered.

"No, I... I don't."

"You want me. You want Luna."

"No, I only want Rarity...” Dust said in an uncertain voice.

"And she's gone." The voice answered. "You killed her. You made rid of her to be with Luna."

"Stop it, that's a lie." Dust answered the voice angrily.

"You know it's the truth. Deep down. That day that Luna saved your life, something happened to you, didn't it?"

"I...”

"Don’t deny it. The moment you laid eyes on her, you wanted her. Such a beautiful blue coat. An angel, wasn't she?"

Dust was unable to speak.

"And her power. You felt it. Just like that thing around your neck feels your desire for it. But she would never love you, right? A lowly, pathetic scumbag, shunned by society. Why would she care? She would, if you had more power."

"And... How do I get this... power?" Dust asked slowly. He felt as if he was floating in water, everything around him was empty. Someone else moved his mouth as he spoke.

"Unicorn magic."

The feeling of emptiness grew stronger. It moved into his head, and he felt his mind fading.

"You want Luna. But you've been too ashamed to admit it, even to yourself...”

The voice faded away, along with the rest of the world.

When Dust opened his eyes, all he could see was grey. And endless sea of gray. A few white spots moved randomly across his vision. He realized he was looking at the sky, at grey clouds and snow falling unto him.

He slowly got up into a sitting position, resting his weight on his lower arms and elbows. He was still in the ruins of his house. The smoke had stopped, and the embers had died down. Snow had started to build up around him, creating a field of black and white. Remembering what had just happened, he felt a chill going up his back.

That thing, whatever it was, had been down there with him. Buried in the ashes. Maybe it was still there. He remembered the things it had said to him. He wanted to throw them away as lies, but he couldn't. The voice had been right all along.

Dust got up from the ground, not caring to brush the soot and snow off of him. Quickly, he went over to the place he knew the bed had been. Reluctantly, he started digging through the ashes. After some time, he spotted something bright covered in soot.

Picking the horn up, he felt disgusted at himself for doing so. But he had no choice.

As he held it before his eyes, he felt the ring vibrating again. Grabbing it in his other hand, he felt the horn react as well. He brought them closer together. As the horn touched the ring, they were both covered in a blinding red light. A thunderous ray of light emanated, blinding Dust as the snow and ashes flew into the air, encircling him, creating a gigantic vortex around him.

The red light joined the vortex, then shooting straight up into the air, forming into an endless red beam of light. Strings of lightning shot out all around him, throwing even more snow up into the air. The ground shook as the beam disappeared back into the ring, followed by a massive bang.

Dust was thrown backwards through the air as the ring nearly exploded in his hand, sending a shockwave across the area. He hit a tree hard, coming to a sudden stop before he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. His ears rang from the impact, and his vision blurred. Blinking it away, he saw... Nothing. Everything was back to normal. The vortex was gone, as well as the red light.

His back ached as he stood up. Immediately, he felt the ring around his neck had grown heavier. Did that mean... It had absorbed the magic?

He wasted no time in trying it out. He decided to go bigger this time, no more pathetic glasses or books, no fires. Turning around and backing up a few steps, he focused on the tree he'd hit.

A branch snapped in half. And then another. Eventually, almost every branch on the tree had been broken off, simply by Dust imagining it. He reached out put his arms towards the tree, clearing his mind and only thinking about one think. Then, he quickly moved his hands in a parting movement.

The tree cracked, snapping in half down the middle. Splinters tore off, sailing through the sky and landing in the snow.

Dust felt his heart race. This was amazing. A rush he'd never felt before. He smiled as he observed the tree breaking under its own uneven weight. His vision turned red as he broke out in laughter.

A distorted, inhuman laugh.

The time had come.

Good afternoon, 'gents...

What is it you want, human...

I truly do envy your sister...

I came here... for you...

"Guards!" Luna’s yell echoed across the throne room.

The wooden doors flung open, and the couple of guards from earlier rushed inside. Dust looked at Luna, then at the guards. Holding up his hands to show he surrendered, he slowly walked over to meet them.

"Seize this man!" Luna’s voice boomed as she looked with burning eyes at Dust.

The two guards placed themselves on either side of Dust, pointing their swords at him. He looked down at them, seeing the anger in their eyes, and sighed.

"I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this..." He said in a low, sad voice.

Turning his head to look back at Luna, he saw only anger in her face. Then, before any of the guards had time to react, he grabbed the left guards head, pushing up with his legs and launching himself into the air. Without letting go of the stallions head, he did a cartwheel through the air, and a loud crack could be heard. The stallion was dead before he hit the floor. Dust landed without a sound on the other side of the guard.

Luna gasped in fear as she saw the guard fall dead. Instantly, the other guard yelled out and rushed towards Dust. Holding his ground, Dust simply looked at the other guard and reached out his arm towards him. The pony stopped dead in his tracks as he crashed into a wall he couldn't see.

The hood had fallen off from the humans head, revealing his face. As Luna saw it, she finally recognized him. How could she even forget?

"You... I remember you now, Dust." She exhaled.

Dust looked up at her with disappointment in his eyes.

"How could you forget me, Luna? Seeing as I'm the only human in Equestria...”

"I... I don't know. It was as if you were wiped from my memories."

Dust shook his head, and then reached for his hood. He pulled it up over his face, and as he let it go, more guards rushed through the gate. He gave Luna one last look, smiling.

"We shall continue this conversation another time, my dear."

One after one, the guards tried to reach him, but where stopped by his magic. Taking one last dramatic bow, he backed up towards the wall. Then he turned around and ran for one of the big windows. Launching himself through the air, he raised his arms to cover his face as his body tore through the glass. Shards of broken glass flew through the air, mixed with the snow that immediately blew in through the broken window.

Luna rushed towards it, looking out through the hole and seeing nothing except snow.

"Guards...” She said slowly. ".. Go get my sister."

The snow blew across his face as he fell. Keeping his arms close to his body and his legs straight, he sailed to the ground like a missile, gaining more and more speed. This wasn't good. He'd fucked up, and would probably be hunted down. Every royal guard would come after him, and wouldn't rest until they got him.

Aiming for a rooftop far below, he stretched out his arms and legs to slow the fall. When he had a few feet left until he hit ground, he flipped around and landed perfectly on his feet. The roof cracked at the impact, but didn't break. Without stopping for even a second, he started running across the roof. Approaching the edge, he held his breath and jumped into the air.

Behind him, he could hear the sounds of shouts and clanking metal. The guards where already giving chase.

Dust landed smoothly on the next rooftop, this one angled to the side. He had to run leaned to the side, one hand sliding over the roof panels. And then he came to a stop. The edge of the roof stopped him and no buildings where close enough for him to jump. He needed another way. Quickly, he turned to his side and started climbing up to the top of the roof.

Getting up on the top, Dust balanced on the narrow roof. He could see the guards now, both in the air and on the ground. They wouldn't give up. On the other side of the building he saw another rooftop, one that he could probably reach. He took a deep breath, and ran down the steep roof, and pushed off.

He sailed through the sky, arms waving and legs kicking.

When he looked down, he saw more guards on the ground beneath him. Then he hit the roof. His left foot touched down on the edge, while his right missed, and instead slammed into the wall. A split second latter, he fell. Not having enough time to react, he didn't use his magic, and crashed hard into the street below.

He fell through some sort of cloth stretched out over a door, landed on a small table, and rolled down unto the street. Wheezing in pain, he still pushed himself to get up. But the guards had already blocked off both sides of the alleyway, and was coming closer, boxing him in between them. There was no way out, trapped like a rat.

They slowly came closer, swords and spears ready to strike. For a moment, the red that had coated Dust's vision disappeared, and he felt like he just wanted to drop down on the street and cry. Maybe the guards would show mercy and not hurt him, and maybe Luna could forgive him...

NO! Kill them!

His vision became red again. All his doubt was blown away, and he only felt a strong urge to kill. He rushed towards the guards, diving straight into their lines. In a matter of seconds he'd knocked two of them unconscious, picking up their swords as they fell. But he didn't care about the others. Even though he wanted to kill them, he managed to hold it back. There was no need for further bloodshed.

Instead, Dust rushed quickly through the rest of the stallions, who stood baffled a split second, due to his immense speed. Then they took off after him. Criss-crossing over streets and into alleyways, Dust did his best to lose the ponies, but they never gave up. He rushed out from an alley and into a rather big street, running past some shop on his right. As he passed, a door opened and a mare stepped out in front of him.

He didn't have time to evade her, and simply took a leap over her. She looked after him in confusion, before turning to see the guards coming. She pressed herself against the wall to evade being trampled by the mob.

Dust's whole body ached, he couldn't keep on running anymore, and he had to stop. He had no choice than to accept his fate, if he kept on running he would collapse eventually anyway. He slowed his pace and stopped. He turned around to look at the guards, once again raising his hand in defeat.

As he relaxed and managed to stop his panting, his vision turned back to normal yet again.

"I swear, I didn't do anything to hurt Luna!" He yelled at the guards.

But the stallions didn't react to his words. They simply surrounded him, pressing their swords and spears against his back and chest. If he moved only and inch they would pierce him.

"Let him go!" A voice rang out across the street. A voice Dust hadn't heard before, regal yet soft, sounding somewhat similar to Luna.

The guards backed off, and Dust now saw a mare approaching him. She was big, probably a bit taller than Luna. With shiny white coat and a shimmering mane, shifting in all the colors of the rainbow. Dust recognized her, from that day he'd been brought into Canterlot, into that crowd, that violet unicorn’s speech...

"You must be Celestia." He said as she came closer.

"Indeed." the mare answered. "And you're... Dust, I presume?"

Dust nodded.

"My sister has told me quite a lot about you...” Celestia said with a low voice.

"I did nothing to hurt her." Dust hurried to answer.

"No?" Celestia answered with a strange look on her face. Dust didn't like it. "As far as I know, you laid your hands on her. She looked quite upset."

"I-I...” Dust didn't know what to answer.

"You threatened her, didn't you? And you used violence against her...” Celestia said with a calm voice.

"You're lying!" Dust spouted at her. "I would never hurt Luna."

"But you did. I saw her neck myself. A rather nasty mark from human hands around it."

"No, that's a lie." Dust said, shaking his head slowly. He felt anger building up inside him once again.

"It's not a lie." Celestia countered back. "If I want it to be the truth, so it will be. Do you understand me, human? You don't belong in this world, and you have nothing to say against me. You disgust me. If only Luna would have let you die that day, but she had to be a hero... Guards, take this man into custody. He will be executed in the morning."

The guards exchanged surprised looks. This didn't sound like the Celestia they knew.

"But, my princess...” One of them began carefully." You've always said we don't kill anypony...”

"But he's not a pony." Celestia answered in a cold voice. "He's a human, filthy and disgusting. Tomorrow, he dies."

Immediately the guard started to object, but Celestia cut him off mid-sentence.

"Do as I say or you'll join him."

The guard closed his mouth and fell silent. Without even a second look at Dust, Celestia turned to leave the street. Dust watched her leave. His suspicions had been right. She was a bitter mare who hated humankind. And she was willing to kill innocent ponies to be rid of him. And she lied about what had happened between him and Luna. Tomorrow, the whole world would know how he apparently tried to kill their beloved princess. And then watch him die.

"Celestia!" he shouted at her. His vision turned red again, and his mind became blank.

She turned to look at him, but gasped and took a few more steps away from him as she saw his eyes.

"I thought you were supposed to be fair, just and truthful. I thought you were a kindhearted ruler, but now I see you're nothing but a Joker in the deck. You're a false ruler, and I swear, tell one more lie about me or Luna, and I will kill you myself."

Celestia looked at him with fright in her eyes. The great, almighty Celestia, scared by a human.

"Grab him, now!" She yelled franticly at the guards.

They approached Dust, but stopped dead in their tracks as he opened his mouth.

"ENOUGH!"

He panted heavily. The guards looked at him in fear as he hunched his back, groaning in pain. Something moved inside his chest clawing at his skin. Long, dead fingers...

A horrible ripping sound was heard and Dust screamed at the top of his lungs in pain. He felt two open holes on his back, and something moving out of them. He fell to his knees in the snow as even Celestia backed away in terror. He arched his back as a final, terrible singe of pain shot through his back.

A pair of big, black wings sprouted out, reaching high up into the sky. A few feathers fell off of it, sailing through the air.

Nopony moved. The only sounds where the wailing of the wind and Dust's panting breath. Slowly, he stood back up. He looked at Celestia, and red smoke rose from his eyes. The smoke spread from his eyes, eventually emanating from his entire body. Dust and Celestia stared at each other, neither of them breaking eye contact.

Then, with a strong flap of the wings, Dust took flight. He disappeared into the cloudy sky, with such speed that not even the fastest flying creatures could even dream of catching up to him.

Celestia watched him disappear. For a split second she thought of pursuing him, but realized he was too fast, even for her. She wanted to yell out in anger, having been defeated by such a revolting creature. But before she could even build up enough rage, a window opened over their heads, and a stallion reached out his head.

"You darn kids; we're trying to sleep in here!"

He slammed the window shut again, leaving the group in confused silence.

Rise of the Republic

"Any sign of him?"

"No my princess, we've searched the skies, mountains, cities and everything in between, but it's like he's disappeared into thin air."

"Very well. Keep on looking. I don't care if you've already checked every little part of Equestria, check it again! We can't let him get away."

"Yes, at once, my princess."

The guard flew off into the skies, accompanied by a squadron of about 20 more stallions.

"Imbeciles...” Celestia muttered as she went back inside the castle.

How hard could it be to find one lousy human being? It wasn't that she cared about what he did to her sister; a kiss isn't something to kill someone over. She despised him, plain and simple. Humankind where beneath ponies, and would always be, no matter which world they came from. They were animals, basically. Vermin. A plague, spreading it's filth to her ponies through their mere existence.

As she envisioned this human’s life and urges, her insides threatened to escape up through her mouth. Human reproductive behavior revolted her. And probably, she thought that winged human-beast had probably copulated with her ponies. The thought made her not only sick, but even more angered.

Vermin. And like vermin, Dust needed to be exterminated.

"Don't open these doors to anypony, no matter how important or urgent it is." She said to the two stallions guarding her royal bedchamber, as she closed the door behind her.

Finally, silence. No more clanking from armor, no more maids or servants asking the same questions over and over again. Her room was the only place in the castle she felt at ease. She was perfectly safe in here, free to think without being disturbed. Nopony would be stupid enough to try and get in here.

She walked up to her mirror and took a hard look at her reflection. She was feeling weak. Even though she was immune to the sands of time, she had begun to feel... old. Her face didn't have that sparkling shine it had years ago. Her rainbow-mane had started to loose its color, growing more and more bleak.

And her eyes... They looked somewhat... hollow.

She closed her eyes a bit longer than normal. A few tears fell on her cheek, as they always did when she saw her own reflection. She was sick, and it made her mad. If she truly was dying, and she one day would pass, all her ponies would have left would be Luna. A stupid, spoiled little brat. She knew nothing of ruling a kingdom. She would only drive Equestria over the edge of the abyss.

Celestia opened her eyes again, her vision a little blurry from the tears. Looking at the mirror, she saw something odd in the reflection. Believing it was only brought on by the tears, she tried to blink it away, but it stayed put. Finally, she realized what she saw, and froze in her spot.

Through the mirror, she could see her bed on the other side of the room behind her. And something black. Leaning its back against one of the bed poles, arms crossed over the chest, and one foot resting over the other. Looking at her from underneath its hood.

"Have you come to kill me?" She asked the mirror, not wanting to turn around and face him.

"Not today, princess." Dust answered calmly.

"Then why are you here?" Celestia quickly countered back.

"Oh, merely a simple conversation." Dust began, moving away from the bed pole slowly. "A little... Bedtime chat, if you will. Surely, you won't turn down such a harmless request?" Dust stopped his steps next to a small table. On top of it sat a tray with white cups. He picked one of them up.

"I see no reason to talk to an enemy." Celestia said with a cold voice.

Dust raised the cup to his mouth, taking a sip of the hot, steamy tea.

"Not bad." He said, taking another sip, then stepping towards Celestia. "I'm not your enemy tonight. Think of me as a... messenger."

Celestia couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking laugh at his statement.

"You, a messenger? What could you possibly have to tell me?"

"Call off the wedding." Dust answered.

"Not going to happen."

Dust laughed at her answer. A sad, almost hurtful laugh. Without saying another word, he raised his hand into the air, letting go of the cup of tea. Celestia expected it to fall and shatter on the floor, but it stayed in the air, floating. Dust looked at her with a serious face, and then he snapped his fingers. The cup disappeared. Yet, the tea continued to float in the air, completely undisturbed by the fact that it wasn't contained in the cup anymore.

"Call off the wedding." Dust repeated himself. "Luna belongs with me."

"Or what?" Celestia asked mockingly. "Are you going to make every single cup of tea in town disappear like that?"

"I'll kill you." Dust interrupted her mid-sentence. "And anypony that stands in my way."

"You think your weak magic can go against mine, human? Pathetic. You know I could kill you right where you stand."

"No, you can't harm me. Call off the wedding, or you'll die, along with everyone else."

Dust walked through the room, heading for the balcony door. He opened it, but didn't step outside.

"You're a hard man to track down." Celestia said before he took the step through the door. "Where have you been this last week?"

"Oh, I've been trying out my new wings." Dust said, turning back around and giving her a triumphant smile. "Quite amazing things really. I never knew something so fast existed. I don't know how fast I flew from here to the Crystal Mountains, and then turning back and heading out over the Badlands."

Turning his back to her, he added "Zebrica was nice too."

"Still, I had guards up in the clouds twenty-four hours a day, and yet they didn't spot you."

"Well, those guards of yours really aren’t the most clever bunch...”

Dust stepped out through the door.

"And when I kill you, I'll do it with my bare hands. You don't deserve a quick death. Oh, and before I go, I should tell you, I took the liberty of... dealing with your little apprentice. I hope you weren't too attached to her...”

For the first time in ages, Celestia felt her heart sink like a rock.

"What did you do to Twilight Sparkle..?" She whispered with a terrified voice.

"Ah, so that's her name. But no matter, nopony will remember her anyway. You have four days, and then the killing begins. Good night, Tia."

Celestia turned away from the mirror to look him in the face. She wanted to see his eyes when she... The room was empty. Dust had already disappeared, and the only evidence he'd even been there was the open doors to the balcony, the curtains around it swaying lightly in the cold breeze.

And the tea, still floating in the air.

Dust carefully opened the doors from the balcony. This room seemed to be the exact same layout as Celestias, say for one difference: the blue Alicorn fast asleep on the bed. Carefully, he slid his body through the doors, trying not to make a single sound. He closed the door, and held his breath as the doorknob clicked in place. He looked over at Luna, but the sound didn't wake her.

He walked through the room without making a sound, stopping at the side of her bed. She was beautiful. If only he'd realized that sooner, maybe his life would have been different by now. If he hadn't been a coward, too afraid to admit it to himself. Carefully, Dust sat down on the edge of the bed. Luna moved a little in her sleep, but kept on sleeping.

Maybe, Rarity would still be alive. Maybe she would have found somepony else and lived happily, far away from him. He had taken all that away from her. Because of his own cowardice. Even though he couldn't bring Rarity back, he could try to make up for his neglected past by finally confessing. It was a strange feeling. Almost... disgusting. Perverted even. Here he was, about to confess his love for another mare, merely a week after the loss of the love of his life.

It wasn't right and he knew it. A desecration against morality.

But looking down at the blue mare, he just couldn't help it. She saved his life, and won his heart in the process. He wanted to feel ashamed, but he couldn't. It was impossible for him to hate himself for loving, no matter how much he wanted to. It was despicable.

He wiped some hair out of his eyes, and slowly he turned on his side, lifting up his legs into the bed and laying his head down on the empty pillow next to Luna. Again, Luna shifted in her sleep, and took a deep breath, letting out a sigh. Looking up into the tall ceiling, Dust felt as if an invisible weight had dropped from his heart. This felt right. Lying next to Luna, he felt he was doing the right thing. He wanted to stay like this forever.

Not doing anything, not saying a word, just staring into the ceiling, feeling the warm body beside him. He wanted to fall asleep next to her, and wake up with her right there again in the morning. But that would probably be a bad idea. After the incident in the throne room a week ago, being found asleep next to the very same princess... They would have his head.

He had no choice than to do what he came for. He had to tell her. No matter how she reacted, she would at least know. And maybe she wouldn't get too angry at him for invading her personal space like this. Dust shifted to his side, carefully moving his body closer to Luna. As he came closer, something changed a bit in her breathing.

He stayed still for a while. He wanted to wake her up himself somehow, not having Luna wake up by herself, noticing him and calling for the guards. After a while, he gathered enough courage to gently put his hand on her foreleg. Leaning his head close to her ears, he whispered the only thing he could think about at that moment. Why he chose that specific line, he didn't know. It just came to him.

"'Tis some visitor, I muttered. Gently tapping-tapping, upon my chamber door...”

It didn't make any sense at all, it wasn't even romantic or anything, he just felt it suited the situation somehow. And then Luna moved slowly, feeling his hand on her. But she didn't gasp, scream, get up or anything similar. She simply yawned.

"Dust... Is that you?" She asked with a groggy voice, seemingly not fully awake yet.

"Yes... Forgive me for waking you like this... Please, don't be afraid." Dust whispered back.

Luna yawned again, rubbing her face with one of her hooves, and then stretching her legs.

"I'm not." She answered quickly.

"And why is that? Is it because you know Celestia would kill me if she found me here? Or because you know I won't hurt you?"

"I trust you, dust. Although, what you did to that poor pony in the throne room is still making me uneasy."

"That was... unfortunate." Dust answered. "I lost control. And I'm sorry if that kiss offended you...”

"It caught me by surprise, to say the least...” Luna whispered back. "It made me feel... Never mind, I suspect you didn't come here just to discuss that kiss."

Dust sighed and closed his eyes. Now was the moment. He laid his head down on the pillow again, looking at Luna. She still had her back at him, and all he could see was her shimmering blue mane. It seemed like small stars moved around inside it, appearing randomly and then disappearing again. Maybe if he stared at the stars long enough, they would both fall asleep and he wouldn't have to tell her... He could sneak out in the morning...

"What I said in the throne room...” He said, trembling. ".. It was true. I did come there for you. Ever since the day we first met, I've had feelings for you. But because of Rarity, and my own shame, I refused to accept it, to even think about it. I thought I could forget about it, and move on with Rarity... But that was a mistake. Towards the end, I began thinking more and more about you, but since you’re a princess and probably immortal and god knows what else, I thought you would just be disgusted by me. So I stayed with Rarity... and now she's gone."

"Dust... What did you do? I've heard rumors that some pony had gone missing, barely a week ago... Rarity?"

"I..." Dust was afraid to tell her. If he did, she would probably throw him in jail for murder. But at the same time, he wanted to get it out of him badly.

".. I... I killed her." He said slowly. When he closed his mouth, he instantly began crying again. This was the first time he said it, making it a reality.

He removed his hand from Luna, putting both his hands over his face and sobbing into his palms. He really did kill her. And he would have to live with it the rest of his life.

Luna didn't answer him, but he felt her body tense up.

"I'm a monster... A fucking monster. I should just let your sister kill me, I deserve it, deserve to burn in hell for all fucking eternity. I wish I'd never met Rare, then she would still be alive, not a smoldering heap of ash!"

He started punching his hands hard against his face.

"I just lost it, and striked out at her. I was so angry at her for what she did to me the way she ruined my life by fucking that stallion and I wanted to kill them both so I killed her but never found that stallion and then I tried to wake her up again but she didn't and I went insane and ran out in the night screaming after you and your sister to help us so that my poor Rare wouldn't die even though she was already dead and cold as a fucking stone and then I dropped her in the snow and I didn't want to lose her so I picked her up and left her in our bed together with her broken horn and then I burnt down the house and she was still in there getting eaten up by the flames oh fuck god I'm so sorry Rarity please come back to me I don't want to live without you sweetie come back please forgive me I never meant to hurt you FUCK!"

He spoke frantically, his entire body shaking and tears streaming from his eyes. He tried to get free as Luna held him down, trying to comfort him. It felt as if something had broken inside his head.

"Dust, stop it! You're only making it worse!" She yelled at him as he kept on spouting out more and more incomprehensible words.

"Lis-listen to me! You're not a monster!"

"Yes I am! I killed her and so many other innocent ponies and I threatened to kill you sister and I've got huge fucking wings and burning red eyes and..!"

"If you were a monster you wouldn't feel this quilt and sorrow!" She yelled back at him. She tried to put her hooves around his face to stop him from shaking his head violently back and forth. "Calm down or I'll have to use my magic on you!"

Dust didn't stop. He broke free from her grip, continuing to shake and cry. Hesitantly, Luna let her magic course through her into her horn. She touched his forehead with it, trying to use her magic to calm him down, sedate him. But instead, Dust pushed her off. He kicked with his legs and arched his back upwards, as if someone had tied a string around his stomach and were pulling on it.

He opened his mouth and screamed.

Then he finally fell silent. Her magic had worked, it seemed. Luna climbed back up in bed after having been pushed off of it, and laid down next to Dust. He wasn't sleeping, he had passed out. Even though she didn't enjoy using her magic like this, it was for his best. Who knows what he might have done otherwise.

Luna had a lot to process right now. Apparently, this man, Dust, who looked completely harmless, was a deranged killer. And he had feelings for her. But she didn't see any wings or red eyes, as he had claimed. Perhaps the stress of accepting what he'd done to Rarity had been too much, causing him to slip into some dream world where he saw himself as a winged beast?

And what would she do when he woke up? Did she have any feelings for him as well? That kiss last week did feel... special. Thinking back to it, she was sure he was telling the truth about his feelings for her. All his feelings had been projected to her through one simple kiss. But she had no idea how to tackle the results of this.

It became too much to think about. Too many questions, too much worry. She decided to just lock the door to prevent anyone from finding Dust, and then go back to sleep. There really wasn't much else to do. Perhaps Dust would feel somewhat better in the morning. And luckily for Dust, she was much more forgiving than her sister.

"You have to forgive yourself, Dust."

All was quiet when Dust woke up. The ceiling above him was pitch black, and he couldn't even make it out in the shadows. He recognized the bed poles. He was still in Luna’s bed, but it was so dark and cold. He moved his head up to look down on the bed. He was lying on his back, and the blankets had been pulled up to his shoulders. Also, his coat had been removed. He didn't actually realize that until he saw it hanging on a chair close to the bed.

Yawning, he felt a light pressure on his chest. He looked to his right, and saw Luna sleeping right next to him, almost a bit too close... And he realized the pressure on his chest was actually one of her forelegs stretched out over it. What the hell had happened yesterday? He couldn't remember anything after the point he started crying, except an excruciating pain.

Did they..? He looked at Luna. She looked so peaceful, with a small smile on her lips. No, of course they didn't... He would never do something like that after what he'd been through the last couple of weeks... But still, someone had removed his coat, tucked him in bed and Luna was really close to him.

Really close.

"Luna?" He whispered with such a low voice, he almost didn't hear it himself. "You awake?"

Almost instantly, Luna opened her eyes. Maybe she wasn't sleeping at all.

".. What happened to me?" Dust asked.

"I'm not sure...” Luna answered with equally low voice. "You panicked, and seemed to have some sort of... seizure."

"So that's why I remember nothing but pain...” Dust turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. "Did you..?"

"Yes, I thought you would be cold without some blankets...” She said in an apologetic tone.

"... Thanks. You can let go off me now if you want to, I'm not cold anymore."

But Luna didn't move. Instead, she turned away her eyes from him.

"I... I don't want to let go." She whispered. Dust could sense some sadness in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Dust asked her.

Luna was quiet for a while. She closed her eyes and laid her head down against his shoulder. For a while, Dust thought she had fallen asleep, and he closed his eyes to try and get some sleep as well.

"That kiss...” Luna’s voice broke the silence surrounding them. "It... made me feel... I don't know."

"I'm sure you know." Dust said. "You're just afraid to admit it. Like me."

Luna closed her eyes again. For a split second, Dust felt sorry for her. She had seemed so strong when he met her, as if she always knew how to deal with a situation. But now, she was just as unsure and scared as him. Perhaps even more than him.

He didn't get much farther in his thoughts. Without opening her eyes, Luna had moved her head towards him, giving him a quick kiss. And just as fast as she had kissed him, she pulled away. Dust didn't even have time to realize what she was doing.

"I’m sorry." She said, blushing, clearly embarrassed over her actions." I-I just don't want to be lonely anymore...”

The way she spoke and acted reminded Dust of a child, unsure of how other people worked. At first he thought it strange, but then he remembered... The book Rarity gave him. No, don't think about her. He remembered the part about Luna’s banishment... And with that in mind, her behavior made more sense. If she had been on the moon for a thousand years, of course she wouldn't know much about other people...

"Don't be ashamed, Luna." Dust whispered. "I understand this feels strange to you... But... you're not lonely anymore."

Luna looked back at him, and Dust saw something shiny building up around her lower eyelid. Dust threw away all his thoughts of Rarity, and gave Luna another kiss. No more guilt, no more uncertainty. And he was sure that if Rarity had been alive, she would have wanted him to be happy. To feel love.

They kissed in silence. Both of them forgot everything else, the world around them disappearing between their lips. Lost in passion. A passion they both needed, to end their loneliness and sadness. The past didn't matter anymore, it was gone, as well as the future. All that mattered was that moment, their connection.

Pressing themselves closer to each other, they both felt the others heartbeat. For a moment, it was as if they were beating together as one.

They eventually pulled away from each other, still in silence. Luna’s eyes sparkled in the pale moonlight shining through the windows. Dust felt he just wanted to hold her in his arms, to fall asleep with her. Then a thought popped up in his head. But it wasn't his thought, not his idea. He couldn't stop himself from uttering the words.

"Be my queen." He whispered, still looking into her eyes.

"What do you mean..?" Luna asked him hesitantly.

Dust once again lowered his head down on the pillows. Luna followed him, resting the side of her face against his neck.

"You and me. We could rule Equestria." Dust said. "We both know your sister is no longer... fit to rule."

Luna didn't answer, but she knew Dust was right. Celestia had grown into a spiteful creature, brewing hate for everything and everyone not related to ponies. Not that she'd ever been that good of a sister either.

"If you'll be my queen, you'll get whatever you want... I can give you anything you desire. Power, respect. Love. The people would love you the same way they love your sister, except you would be a much better ruler than her. Together, we would make the people overcome their fear of the moon and the night, allowing them to bathe in the pale moonlight, and in your beauty. And you'll have my love. We would spawn a new society, one dedicated to you and the moon...”

"That... Sounds great." Luna whispered, snuggling closer to Dust. "But wouldn't that new society need a name?"

"Maybe...” Dust answered." What about... The Lunar Republic?"

"Lunar Republic... Yes, I like that." Luna said with a smile on her face.

"I thought so." Dust smiled back. "And I swear by god, if anyone does anything against you, anything to harm you... I'll kill them. There won't be a single place in the world for them to hide. Nopony will hurt my queen."

"But...” Luna said with an uncertain voice. ".. You won't be around forever. You're mortal. And I'll lose you someday...” Her voice started to tremble.

"Don't worry about that." Dust said, loosening himself from her grip, rolling around, placing himself on top of her. "There is a way for me to live forever."

They kissed again, and Luna reached her arms around him, trying to get him closer.

".. How?" She asked between their kisses.

"Unicorn magic."

Their kissing became more agitated, rolling around playfully several times across the bed. They both forgot about being careful, quickly running both hands and hooves over each other’s bodies. Eventually, they came to a stop, with Luna looking down on Dust's face. She gave him another kiss, and then mustered all her courage to speak.

"I...” She began. "I... I think I love you, Dust.."

They both smiled, and continued their playful kissing in the light of the moon.

Into Freedom

The morning sun reached Dust's eyes. He blinked his eyes, and got momentarily blinded by the bright light. He put his hand over his eyes to shadow them, so that he could see his surroundings. It had to have been a dream, he thought. A wonderful dream with only him and Luna entangled together, sharing kisses and making passionate love while the moon passed through the skies over their heads. A beautiful dream, truly.

But as the big, beautifully decorated windows of Luna’s bedchamber became visible to him, he slowly realized the fact that it hadn't been a dream.

It had been real. The princess really did love him.

Thinking back to their meeting that night, he remembered some of the last things he said to her. But it was strange, he remembered saying them, but it was as if his brain envisioned his words more like lines from a book. As if someone or something made him read a script, without him actually knowing it.

"Be my queen...” He said to himself. Tasted the words. It felt as if this was the first time he uttered them.

And Luna had agreed. The Lunar Republic would rise, with them together at the frontline.

Dust turned his head, expecting to see Luna in the bed next to him, but it was empty. He threw the bedcovers away, and got up. He got into his pants, but didn't care about the shirt. Even though it was winter and the wind still howled outside, no amount of snow and ice could freeze the feeling of hope he felt inside.

Him and Luna.

He found her out on the balcony. Standing with her back against him, she seemed to be admiring the view. Dust walked up to her, placing himself next to her.

"Sleep well?" Luna asked, turning to look at him with a shy smile on her lips.

"Yeah... Really well." Dust answered, and gave her a quick kiss. "But I have to admit, when I woke up, I thought it had been a dream...”

"Me too." Luna answered him. "I never thought... I never thought this loneliness I've been feeling would fade. But it is."

Dust smiled at her again, moving closer and putting his arms around her neck.

"Aren't you cold, dear-” Luna’s eyes widened and she quickly threw her mouth shut as she realized what she had called him. "Forgive me...” She added, blushing.

"You can call me whatever you want, Luna." Dust answered her, turning his head away from her.

He looked out over the balcony’s railing. From here, he could see almost all of Canterlot, and the massive fields and forest of wild country beyond its borders.

"After all, you're going to be my queen...” He added. "If you're sure you really want to, of course...”

They remained silent for a while, watching the sun rise on the horizon. Slowly, the city far beneath them came to life, ponies rushing down the streets, unaware of the couple of eyes watching them from above.

"Dust?" Luna broke the silence. "That thing you whispered in my ear when you woke me, what was it?"

"Oh, it's nothing really... Just a line from a... poem, of sorts." He answered her.

"Did you write it?"

"No, no I didn't." Dust chuckled back at her. "It was written by, uh... Edgar Allan Poe."

"Who..?" Luna asked him with raised eyebrows.

"A writer. Back in my world... Don't know why I even said that line, it just came to me, you know?"

"Well, I think it was rather... beautiful." Luna answered with a shy voice. "Is the entire poem like that..?"

"Yeah, kind of. But it really isn't a beautiful story, its more horror I'd say."

"Horror or not, it can still be beautiful." Luna answered him.

"If you want really beautiful, I could try to remember something from Romeo & Juliet." Dust said with a smile. "But I think we should go inside. You're right, I'm freezing."

Back inside, Dust went to put on his shirt, but Luna stopped him as he picked it up. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, wondering what she was doing. Her eyes looked at his chest.

"What... what is that?" She asked.

Dust didn't know what she was talking about, seeing as she saw quite a lot of his chest last night. Looking down, he realized she meant the ring hanging around his neck. He cleared his throat.

"It's uh... It's nothing. Just a ring." He said in a hurry, trying to get his shirt on.

"But...” Luna began, but Dust cut her off.

"Just leave it, all right? It's none of you concern." His voice had hardened.

"Can I touch it?" Luna asked and moved her hoof towards it at the same time, not waiting for an answer. Her eyes where fixed on the ring, spellbound by it.

"Don't touch it!" Dust yelled and pushed away her hoof a little too hard.

Luna backed away from him with a look of fear in her eyes. For a split second, something had changed in Dust's voice. And in his eyes.

"Luna, I'm sorry!" Dust quickly said with a somewhat trembling voice. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I did that...”

"It's fine." Luna answered, the fear gone from her eyes. "If I'm going to be your queen, I have to accept everything about you, right?" She gave Dust a smile.

"Is that a yes?" Dust asked as his heart skipped a beat.

Luna nodded.

A big smile grew in Dust's face, and without warning he rushed forward and embraced her hard.

"You have no idea what this means to me...” Dust whispered to her.

Dust had his arms around Luna’s neck, and she couldn't move her legs to return the embrace. So instead, she wrapped her wings around him, laying her head down over his shoulder.

After a few more seconds, they broke the embrace, and gave each other another kiss.

"You should probably leave...” Luna said with a tone of sadness. "If Tia finds you...”

"She'll kill me." Dust finished the sentence. "And if she found out what we did tonight...”

"She would probably kill me as well...” Luna whispered.

"No, she won't. I won't let her harm you." Dust answered as he put his coat on.

As he turned around to seemingly look for something in the bed, Luna could see two long holes in the back of the coat. Perfectly aligned with his shoulder blades with small strings hanging from the edges.

"That cloak makes you look so handsome." She said to Dust as he turned back to look at her.

"Handsome enough for one last kiss?" He said with a smile as he pulled the hood over his head.

"Always." Luna smiled back.

Dust reached out his arms to hold her again, but stopped dead in his tracks as a loud knock on the door could be heard. Followed by a voice they both knew all too well. A voice that made them freeze.

"Luna, dear? Are you still sleeping?"

"My sister!" Luna wheezed. "You have to go, now!"

Dust nodded quickly, then turned around and hurried to the balcony door without making a sound. Luna followed him halfway through the room. As he opened the door, he stopped. Then, he turned around, gave her a kiss, whispering "Love you." and then stepped out on the balcony.

Luna stared at him as he reached out his arms into the air.

"Please Luna, turn around. Let your sister in, hurry!"

Luna didn't answer, only did what Dust said. As she hurried back to her chamber doors, she heard a loud sound from the balcony, like a whirlwind.

"Come in, Tia." She said, leaning her head close to the door in order for Celestia to hear her.

The doors opened, and her older sister walked in slowly. She gave Luna a suspicious look as she passed her.

"Sure took your time to open, dear." She said as she made her way to the open balcony doors.

Luna’s heart almost stopped as she realized she'd forgot to close them.

"Yes, I was... Out on the balcony." Luna answered, without lying. "I felt like watching the sunrise for once."

"I did a good job with it today, didn't I?" Celestia asked, looking out at the sun.

"Of course. You always do, sis."

Celestia turned her head around to look at her with angry eyes.

"It's called sister, Luna. Sister. Not sis.

Luna didn't answer. Celestia tried her best to mock her and correct her "wrongs" whenever she could. At first, Luna had argued against her, but after all this time she'd learned it was best to either agree with her sister, or just keep her mouth shut. This time, she chose the latter.

Celestia turned from the balcony, and instead directed her attention to Luna’s bed.

"Dear... Have you been having nightmares?" She said, almost mockingly. "It looks like you've been kicking around the bed like crazy...”

"Yes, I've... been having dreams about that incident with the human earlier." Luna did her best to sound as if she were disgusted by the mere thought.

"I don't blame you." Celestia muttered. "I have been thinking about that... creature almost all my time this last week. Such filth has no place in my perfect kingdom."

"Of course, sister. Disgusting filth." Luna answered with a cold voice.

"When we find him I will...” Celestias facial expression changed in an instant as she approached the bed, but Luna couldn't read what it meant.

"What's that..?" Celestia said with a low voice. "That smell..." Celestia frowned, something in her eyes changing.

Luna was about to panic.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about.." She began.

"Luna!" Celestia yelled, and ran up to her, staring straight into her eyes. She looked as if she was on the verge of insanity, one of her eyes twitching.

"Dust has been here, hasn't he?!" She screamed in Luna’s face.

"No, I would never go close to him...” Luna said in a meager voice.

Celestia made a noise that sounded like a mix between a sigh and a snort. She tore her face away from Luna, and walked back to the bed.

"I know this smell...” She said in a cold voice. "It's the smell of a human... In your bed."

This wasn't good. Luna couldn't hide it anymore, Celestia already understood. She had won. But Luna wasn't about to let her sister enjoy this victory. She would hold her head high. Doing just that, she steeled herself and looked at her sister with fire in her eyes. She still had her honor.

"You win, sister." She began with a steady voice. "Dust has been here."

Celestia didn't answer right away. She only looked at Luna with an odd facial expression. It took Luna a few seconds to recognize that what she saw in her sister’s face was sadness. Disappointment.

"You... dare... betray me?!" She yelled at Luna with an extremely high-pitched voice. "My own SISTER, with a human?! What happened?!"

Luna was sure her sister had lost it. Something inside her had flipped around when she got hit by this fact, this betrayal. But she wouldn't falter, wouldn't give in. There was no point in lying.

"I love him." She said to Celestia. "I love him, and I'm going to be his queen."

"I should kill you for this...” Celestia answered, her eyes narrowed and her voice shaking.

"Go ahead. I'm right here." Luna countered back. "At least I would die feeling true love. Something you will never experience, sis'."

Celestia walked back to the chamber doors.

"No." She said. "I won't kill you. But if you meet Dust one more time, I will. Do you understand? I'm giving you one more chance, dear sister."

And with that, she disappeared through the doors, closing them behind her as she left. Finally, Luna relaxed. She let out a deep sigh, feeling her body soften again, after the tension. She went for the balcony, to see if there were any traces left of Dust. But she found nothing. The balcony floor was empty, not even any footprints in the light layer of snow. Nothing. Except a black feather close to the doors. She didn't pay it any attention. Probably belonged to a bird.

She looked up into the skies.

"Dust... Please. Don't leave me. Come back."

She knew nopony would answer. No one could hear her. Yet, she still hoped the winds would carry her words to Dust, somehow.

"I never left you." A voice said behind her.

Luna’s body trembled as if she had been struck by lightning, and her skin crawled. She turned around.

"Did I scare you?" Dust asked.

He was sitting on the railing, hunkered down with his coat hanging on the outside of the railing. He looked a lot like a crow, perching.

"How long have you been here?!" Luna asked in a low voice, but she smiled at him none the less.

"I heard everything." He answered. He hopped down from the railing without making a sound, and walked over to her. "Are you afraid?"

"I... I don't know." Luna admitted. "She is my sister after all, but... I don't know." Luna shook her head slowly, as if she was trying to get her thoughts right.

"Believe me; she wouldn't hesitate to kill you." Dust said in a sad voice. "I know that all too well."

Luna didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. But slowly, she came to realize that Dust was right.

"I think...” Dust began. "It’s best if we both get out of here. You've got wings, that's good. Hopefully you'll be able to keep up with me."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"It's better if I show you." Dust answered.

He gave Luna a sign with his hand, telling her to back off a bit. She did, and observed him in astonished silence as he arched his back and clenched his fingers. Now she understood what those holes in the back of his cloak were supposed to be. A pair of black wings sprouted out from them. Luna’s jaw dropped as they rose to the skies.

Dust looked back at her and grinned.

"Try to keep up, princess."

And before Luna had time to answer, he flapped his wings with a deafening sound, and took to the skies. For a split second, Luna hesitated; afraid to be left alone, but then she spread out her own wings and set off after him into the clouds. A short moment she was afraid that she wouldn't find him. That he was already gone, disappearing in the endless blue above her.

But after a few seconds, she saw his figure high up in the sky. She flapped her wings harder, setting her course straight towards him. As she approached him, she could see a big smile on his face. He let out a warm laugh as she watched his wings in total confusion.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dust yelled out to her, in order to be heard over the strong winds blowing all around them. "Come on, follow me!"

Once again, he flapped his mighty wings, flying off. When he did, the clouds around him blew away by the strong currents from his wings. Luna wasted no time in following him, even though she had no idea where they were going. But she trusted Dust, and would follow him anywhere.

After flying through the clouds for a while, Dust finally started to descend. Slowly, Luna followed. They came out beneath the clouds, and Luna saw nothing on the ground expect endless fields of green.

"Where are we going?!" She yelled at Dust.

"Down there, see the tree line breaking?!" He yelled back, but none of them stopped their descent.

And after scanning the trees for a few seconds, she saw what he was referring to. What looked to be a big open field in the middle of the forest, littered with odd dots and shapes... And in the middle, a large tree. She felt uneasy as she saw it.

Half a minute later, they both touched ground next to the big oak in the cemetery.

"What is this place..?" Luna asked Dust. But he didn't answer.

Looking over towards him, she saw he was on his knees in the snow, shaking. Quickly, she ran over to help him. He groaned in pain as she came closer.

"It's... fine...” He said to her between his groans. "This... always... happens...”

And with a final, higher groan, the wings disappeared into his back again. Dust exhaled in pain, and fell backwards in the snow. He panted heavily, as Luna did her best to try and ease his pain. But she had no idea how. All she could do was lay down next to him, giving him a few more kisses.

Eventually, Dust had regained enough strength to return her kisses. He wrapped his arms around her neck and held her down.

"Sorry...” He said when he broke the kiss. "Flying always get me... worked up, you know? That feeling of freedom...”

They shared one last kiss before they both got up. Dust wiped the snow from his coat, and then told Luna to follow him again.

"We need to get inside before somepony sees us." He said. "I wouldn't be surprised if Celestias guards are hiding up in the clouds right this moment...”

"How are we supposed to get inside anything in this place?" Luna asked him as they walked through the cemetery next to each other.

"There are a few... buildings further down this path." He answered. "They’re not that great, but at least it will hide us, and we can keep warm in there."

And indeed, they were safe inside the small building Dust led them to. Even though it wasn't a building. It was a crypt. Dark, cold and unpleasant. But Dust assured her that she had nothing to be afraid of. It turned out he had been here several times before. There were a couple of makeshift beds on each side of the small room, both made up from hay and blankets.

Although, upon arriving they had pushed these two "beds" together into one instead. A better way to keep warm if they stayed here. Dust had even made a small fire going, and lit several candles that he placed in the corners. And now they were sitting in silence. Dust seemed to be asleep, and Luna was staring at the fire.

Somehow, Dust had made it without anything at all, and it burned brightly by itself, without any wood to consume. A naked, endless flame, it seemed. And it didn't produce ant smoke at all. Luna was most grateful for that, if it did they would probably suffocate from it.

She had no idea how much time had passed since they left the castle. An hour? Two? Either way, Celestia had probably already found out that she was gone, and they were looking for her. She never thought she would go from princess to fugitive in just one day. And she never believed she would find love. Even though they were being hunted, and her sister most likely wanted to kill her for this, she still had someone to love. Someone to share her life with.

She never had to be lonely anymore.

Luna looked at Dust through the light of the flames. He still had his hood on, and sitting with his back against the wall, he looked as if he was sleeping. One leg stretched out on the floor in front of him, the other tucked in with his right lower arm resting on the knee, and his head resting on his chest. He was sitting close to the door, behind it so that he could ambush anyone that came inside.

"Dust?" She whispered. The walls around them enclosed the sound, eliminating all echoes or disturbances. "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered back.

"Why don't you come and join me? It's cold." Luna said from her place in the makeshift bed.

Of course it was cold. Despite the fire and blankets, it was still winter outside, and they were inside a stone box. The walls felt like ice, as well as the floor.

"In a while, Luna. I just want to be sure... that nopony gets in here."

Luna sighed and laid her head down on of the pillows. It was just another blanket, rolled up into a pillow-like shape, but it was still better than nothing. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But it was impossible. So many thoughts rushed through her mind, and she had trouble laying still, constantly shifting her legs under the covers.

"Has your sister always been like this?" Dust said after a few minutes of silence.

Luna couldn't see him since she had her head turned the other way, but she heard him move and get up. Heard his feet moving across the floor towards her. She turned her head in time to see him crawl down next to her. He tucked the blankets up over them, and carefully scooted closer to her.

"Like what?" She said back.

Dust sighed.

"Bitter. Spiteful. Paranoid, her general hate for humans." He said, adding a yawn.

"She wasn't always like that." Luna answered, and then yawned herself as well. "She used to be a completely different pony... Kind, loving, caring, graceful. Always doing everything she could to make other ponies happy. But that changed a few years ago...” Luna’s voice died down.

"What happened?" Dust pushed on.

"I... I really don't want to talk about it." She said. "It was a painful time for us both...” She tucked her legs close to her, trying to stay warm.

Dust, feeling her attempts to keep warm, put his arm around her and pressed himself against her, resting his head on her neck.

"You can tell me." He whispered into her ear.

"Have you heard of the Crystal Empire?" Luna said after a few moments of silence. "Our sister, Cadence, ruled there with her husband, Shining Armor."

"So you are three sisters? I've never heard of her before."

"No. It's just me and Tia now. Cadence, she...” Luna felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"It’s okay, love. You don't need to say any more, I understand...”

"She was sick." Luna said anyway. "A strange sickness that made her wither away. Shining Armor did everything he could to stop her, to heal her, but nothing worked. Not even our magic could cure her. And then one day she was just... gone."

"I'm so sorry, Luna...” Dust whispered, gently stroking one of her legs to comfort her.

"It affected my and Tia both, but I think she took it the hardest. Since that day, something has changed in her."

They were silent for a while. The only sounds where the howling wind outside, and both of their breathing. Dust broke the silence.

"You know, for you to become queen, your sister needs to be removed. Exiled, maybe."

"I know...” Luna answered. "And if she refuses... Do we kill her..?"

"I'll let you decide, if it should come to that. But I hope it doesn't."

Luna turned around to her other side, facing Dust. She looked into his eyes, still partly hidden behind his hood.

"If it comes to that, I'll do it" She said.

She moved closer, laying her face down right in front of his.

"If that's the price I'll have to pay to be with you, I'll do it."

Hunted

Glass. Canterlot castle had turned into pure, clean glass. The towers and spires still reached high in the skies, but threatened to crack under its own

weight. The royal guards where all frozen, forever incased, shimering as the sunlight shone straight through their bodys. The green lush of the Royal

garden had turned into cold silver, and the flowers had become beautiful crystalised figurines.

Even Discord had turned. His body had not turned completely into glass, instead remaining stone with only a thin layer of glass covering the entire body.

Celestia had been forever conected to the throne, as two different sculptures molten together.

Everything and everypony was dead. Their veins and hearts stopped working the moment the glass spread to them. The birds in the sky that had turned

plumeted to the ground like rocks, shattering in thousands of pieces as they hit the gound. A few pegasi had also shared this fate.

Nothing could live in such a world. Yet one lonely creature was still alive. Walking carefully through the shattered glass, trying to avoid to step on them.

The creatures reflection could be seen in the glass all around it. Walls, floors, ceilings, doors, guards; everything mirrored a dark blue figure

moving though the corridors.

The blue Alicorn entered the throneroom. Her sister was sitting in the throne, dead and long gone. But Luna could care less. She deserved this fate.

She exited the throneroom again, heading towards her old bedchamber. The place that had felt like a prison for so many years. And the place that

set her free. The place where she had embraced love for the first time.

As she opened the doors, a slight breeze tugged on her mane.

She stepped inside. Everything looked just the way it did when she and Dust left it. All the furnitures and her belongings, encased in glass.

She crawled up into her old bed. It was cold, not as warm as she remembered it to be. She felt sad that this bed, where she and Dust had realised their

love, had turned into a dead object. The memories had been torn from it, but not from Lunas mind. The first time she and her beloved had

become one.

She smiled as her thougths returned to that night. It had been the most wonderful night of her life. She would gladly be sent to the moon for another

thousand years, if only to relive that night once again.

After a while, the hard bedsheets started to make her body go numb. She quickly got up, and walked over to the balcony. That too had turned to glass.

Even the thin layer of snow had been trapped beneath it.

Lunas gase was drawn to the side of the door, and there, resting towards the wall, was a black feather. For some reason, it had survived the glass deadly

spread. As she watched it, it started to move in the light wind. At first, it only moved slightly on the floor, but as the wind grew stronger, it flew up into the

air. It flew straight past Lunas face, and as it did, time seemed to slow down.

She saw it shatter before her. First the tip broke, then the feathers started to crack and crumble to pieces. It was redused to ashes, and scattered in the

wind. The time returned once more, and she saw the ashes of the feather drift away in the wind, eventually dissapearing. Then, a sound reached her ears.

A crack. A loud crack behind her.

She spun around to see a masive line forming in the balcony, sig-sagin its way across the floor. Quickly, Luna rushed back inside, just in time as the balcony

crumbled to the ground behind her with a deafening shattering sound. She had no time to stop however, as more cracks began to form in the glass

around her. She set off running towards the courtyard.

But as she turned a corner, she was stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart almost stopped as well, as she saw Dust standing only a few feet away from her.

Covered in glass.

His coat had frozen in a position where it looked like it had been blowing in the wind, and Dust himself seemed to have been turning around quickly when

the glass hit him.

She called out his name in vain, trying desperately to bring him back to life, while at the same time afraid to touch him, afraid he might shatter as well.

All around her, the castlewalls crumbled into dust. Shards of glass fell from the ceiling, a few of them cutting Lunas coat as they fell, but she didn't care

about them. All that mattered now was Dust.

She tried to use her magic to seperate glass from flesh, but nothing happened. Everything she tried, failed. She had been defeated. Their love defeated.

By something as simple as glass. There was nothing left to do, except wait for the end.

She put her hoof in one of Dust's outstretched, cold hands. As she did, she felt her hoof going numb.

Looking into his eyes, she saw that they still had that color she'd been so drawn to the first time she saw him. As tears fell from her own eyes, she gave her

lover one last kiss. The sensation of numbness in her hoof had already spread all across her leg and over her wings. It was cold and empty.

Her three remaining hooves became numb as well, as the glass encased them, connecting them with the floor beneath for ever.

The glass moved up over her flank, freezing her shimering tail into eternity. Her wings where allready encased, and the glass started to move up her neck.

As this happened, she didn't remove her lips from Dust for even a split second. When the glass reached her mouth and connected with Dust, Luna

didn't feel numb or cold anymore. Her mind dissapeared, swallowing itself and then imploding. Life seeped out of her eyes.

The floor beneath them gave way, and the two lovers plumeted down into darkness. Still joined in their final kiss, a beautiful statute, a testament to love.

Even though they had both already passed from this world, their love continued, forever crystalised.

None of them felt any pain as they shattered against the ground.

"Come on, Luna, get up!"

Dust's voice reached her ears. It sounded strained, afraid. Luna opened her eyes, and was relieved to find herself back in the crypt. Dust was standing over

her, shaking her lightly to wake her up. She blinked her eyes, the nightmare still fresh in her memory. She opened her mouth to answer him, but he instantly

put his finger over his mouth as a signal for her to stay quiet. He jerked his head to the side to look at the sealed door.

"Guards." He whispered, almost completely silent. "I think I saw about 20 of them, but there could be more."

Luna stayed silent as Dust quickly got up and hurried over to the door, pressing himself against the wall to the left of it.

After a few seconds, Luna joined him, positioning herself on the oposite side of the door. Slowly, Dust opened the door. A tiny ray of light

shined through the crack.

"Is the sun still up?" Luna asked in a low voice. "How long was I asleep?"

"Hours." Dust answered without looking at her, concentrating his vision on the small gap between the door and the wall. "The sun went down some time

ago. The light is coming from torches."

"What do we do?" Luna asked.

"We pray that they don't find us." Dust whispered back at her. "Unless.. Luna, don't you know how to teleport?"

"I do, but.." Her voice faded.

"But what?"

"I.." Luna began. She didn't really want to tell him.

She knew how to teleport, sure, but she wasn't nearly as good at it as her sister. She could teleport anywhere with exact calculation. Luna herself oftentimes

ended up slightly off course.

"I'm not very good at it.." She finaly confessed. "If I do something wrong, it might just hurt you instead."

Dust stayed quiet for a while, continuing to observe the guards on the outside.

"I quess we could make a run for it.." He said slowly. "Maybe run for the treeline, then take to the skies once we're deep enough."

"But what if they catch up to us?" Luna asked cautiously.

Dust finaly tore his eyes from the spring in the door and looked at Luna.

"I won't let them hurt you."

He looked back outside.

"Oh, crap.." He whispered slowly.

"What is it?"

"More guards. They're blocking the path to the forest."

Dust close the door, and once again, darkness descended upon them. He rested his head against the wall for a while, trying to collect his thoughts.

Then, he quietly took a few steps over to Luna.

"I have an idea." He said. "But you have to trust me and do exactly as I say, alright?"

"But.." Luna began.

"Exactly as I say." Dust interupted her. "Alright?"

Luna nodded in silence.

"Good." Now, I'm gonna open the door and go out. You keep behind me at all times, do you understand?"

She nodded once again. Dust quickly wrapped his arms around her, gave her a kiss and said "Sorry, this might hurt."

Before Luna understood what he meant, she felt a sting of pain as a couple feathers got yanked out of her wing.

"Sorry." Dust said once again. "Whatever happens, do as I say. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to fight, you fight."

He losened his grip on her, and slowly he pushed the door to the crypt open.

"Ready?" He asked, and gave her another kiss. "Don't forget that I love you."

Then they stepped outside.

And nothing happened.

"What..?" Luna gasped behind Dust.

"They're gone." Dust answered. "Maybe they were ordered to another place."

They both exhaled loudly. At least for the moment, they could relax again.

"Maybe we should find someplace else to hide..?" Luna whispered.

"Yeah.. But where?" Dust answered. "Nowhere is safe, they'll find us sooner or later.."

Dust turned around to walk back inside the crypt.

"And I'm not gonna let them take you without a fight."

Luna followed him shortly, and once again they cuddled up close together on the makeshift cot, both of them too worried to get any sleep.

Dust couldn't help but think something wasn't right. Not just this thing with the guards, but.. everything. Ever since his conversation with Celestia,

things had been so.. easy. Except his seisure later that evening, things had been going almost too well.

It felt as if everything was already planned out, and they where just playing out a script.

And furthermore, ever since he admitted what he'd done to Rarity, something in his mind had changed. He still felt that strange sensation of anger

sometimes, but he hadn't been visited by that voice anymore since. Even his nightmares had stopped.

It took him a while to understand what was happening. There wasn't anything wrong with him, he was just.. happy again. It had been so long since

he felt truly happy, that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like. Despite everything that had happened, Luna made him happy. And not in the same

way that Rarity did.. He couldn't explain it, but it was altogether different.

A strange situation. Here he was, cold, miserable, scared. Cramped up in an empty cryp, out of all places. Hunted like an animal, bound for death if he

got caught. And still, he was happy. He had Luna in his arms, and that was all he needed. He never even gave one thought to the fact that she was

a princess, almost a godess. He loved her because she was Luna, nothing else.

He had loved Rarity as well, and he truly did want to marry her.. But with Luna, there was something else. Dust couldn't put his finger on it,

but whatever it was, it mattered so much more than anything else. An unkown feeling, a forgotten thought, unspoken words. Maybe he would never

understand what it was.

He pressed himself closer to Luna, resting his head in her mane. It was so soft, like silk. Not like hair at all. Fitting enough, seeing as it sparkled

like stars, the feeling that mane gave him was the same as when you stare into the dark nightsky. Maybe laying down in the grass, observing the stars.

That overwhelming feel that you're not alone. That someone up there is watching you as well. That was the best way he could describe her mane.

Luna let out a sigh. Up until now, Dust thought she had been sleeping, but apparently she wasn't. Maybe she was as worried as him.

"Dust, are you awake?" She whispered, and lifted her head a little bit from the pillow

"Yeah." Dust whispered back, still with his head in her mane. "I can't sleep. There's so much shit in my head right now.."

"Me too." Luna answered. "I can't stop thinking about what's going to happen to us. What if those guards come back later tonight?"

"They wont." Dust said, trying to calm her. "Tomorrow, we'll get out of here, far away where your sister can't find us."

"I hope you're right.." She rolled around slowly to face him. "But what if Tia finds us? What if she k.." Her voice trembled.

"She can't kill me." He said in a low voice.

"I don't want to loose you." Luna answered, and gave him a kiss.

"You wont, I promise."

And after a while of kissing, they finaly both managed to get some sleep, safely wrapped in each others arms.

"Members of the court." Celestias voice thundered as she entered the room. "Forgive me for being somewhat late. I had to attend to a rather personal

matter."

The room had been filled with whispers, an agitated silence as the different stallions and mares around the half-circle shaped table speculated as to why

they had been called here. But they had all stopped whispering as Celestia came into the room. They all watched their princess in silence

as she trotted over to the table, positioning herself at the middle of it.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I have summoned you here." Celestia said in a calm voice. "It seems.. we have a bit of a crisis. No doubt, you

have been paying attention to the scouting-parties of guards coming and going these last few days. Well, I feel it's time to come clean about the whole

affair."

"Why now?" a stallion with brown coat and silver mane asked. "Why have you been keeping us in the dark like this?" His monocle threatened to fall out as

he spoke.

An agreeing murmur spread across the table.

"I thought it best that way." Celestia replied the stallion. "I didn't see any reason to cause more worry amongst you."

"Oh, sure." The stallion countered back. "It's our job to worry about the royal affairs, princess."

Celestia gave him an angry look.

"And it's not like you care about us anyway, we only matter to you once you need our help. We're nothing but.. but.." He couldn't find a fitting word.

"Stop it, Regelius." a mare spoke from the oppiste side of the table. The monocle finaly dropped as the stallion named Regelius turned his head

quickly to look at her.

"Yes, be quiet or I might have to make you leave the room, sir." Celestia said to the stallion, giving an approving nod to the mare in the process.

Regelius fel silent as he began to pick up his monocle from the table.

"Now that we got that out of the way.." Celestia raised her voice. "It's time for the truth. It's about my sister."

"Has something happened to Luna?!" An old-looking mare with bleakly colored coat exhaled, placing a hoof over her mouth as she relised she had

raised her voice. She looked down in shame.

"I don't know, but hopefully all is well with her." Celestia said, adressing the old mares question. "In truth.. We don't know where she is. That is why

we send out guards night and day."

"The princess has dissapeared, and you choose not to tell us?!" Regelius raised his voice again.

Celestia took no notice of his outburst.

"I'm sure all of you know about this human that have been living in our kingdom the past few years?" She asked the ponies arond the table.

They nodded in unison.

"It seems this man has kidnapped my sister."

A collective gasp spread across the room. Even Regelius calmed down and slouched in his seat as Celestias words reached him.

"Is he... Dangerous?" Another stallion asked, this one a pegasus, dark-red in colour.

"Extremely." Celestia answered in a cold voice. "Apperently, he has allready killed several ponies, and severely crippled my apprentice."

"Forgive me for asking, princess.." The old mare began. "Might this have been the.. personal matter you spoke of earlier?"

Celestia gave the mare a long look. Then she nodded slowly.

"I might as well tell you everything. No point in keeping you in the dark. Right, Regelius?"

The monocled stallion didn't answer her question.

"It's.. She's not doing well." Celestia began. "I've let her use my royal bedchambers for the moment. She needs somewhere quiet to rest, poor thing."

"What happened to her..?" A grey unicorn, sitting next to the red pegasus, asked in a worried voice.

"That man broke her horn." Celestia answered, sligthly lowering her head in sadness.

All around the table, silence spread. Not a word was spoken as Celestia continued.

"He almost took her life in the process. But thanks to her dragon assistant, she survived. The dragon himself, on the other hand.. I really don't know if

Twilight Sparkle will ever be well again. Mentaly speaking."

"Does Luna know about this?" the red pegasus asked.

"I never told her." Celestia answered. "Seeing how much Twilight means to her.."

"..It would ruin her." Regelius filled in.

"Maybe that man has told her what he did allready. How long have they been gone?" The grey unicorn asked.

"Three days."

"Any traces of them?" The mare that had shut Regelius up asked. Her dark teal mane swayed in the air as the turned her head to Celestia.

"Only a few." Celestia answered. "In an old graveyard, deep in the Everfree forest. Inside one of the crypts we found a pile of hay. It could have been

used to sleep on."

"Poor thing.." The old mare whispered. "Trapped in a crypt with her kidnapper.."

"Horrible." the grey unicorn said agreeingly.

"We also took a look around the area this man was said to live." Celestia continued. "But all we found was the ruins of a burnt out cabin. We're positive

it belonged to this man."

"Perhaps he burnt it down to erase their trail, or evidence?" Regelius wondered.

"It's possible." Celestia answered him. "But there was one more thing.. Something making all of this much worse."

All the eyebrows around the table where raised.

"What is it, princess?" the red pegasus asked cautiously.

Celestia let out a quiet sigh. She lowered her head in shame as she spoke.

"I spoke with Luna the same day she dissapeared." She said in a low voice, looking down at the floor. "She said.."

Celestia close her mouth. She needed to tell them, but she had no desire to do so. To admit her sisters betrayal towards her.

"What did she say?" somepony asked. Celestia didn't see who it was.

"She knows this man." She said slowly. "Apperently his name is Dust. And they.. seemed to know each other rather.. intimately."

"Wait, you mean..?" The mare with teal mane asked quietly. "They.. an alicorn, and a human..?"

"I'm afraid so." Celestia answered. "She claimed she loves him."

The tension in the room was broken as Regelius monocle once again fell to the table with a clanking sound. The stallion seemed to be frozen in place.

"So now you see why I kept this a secret from you all." Celestia continued, once again raising her head to look at them.

"I had to lie, there was no other choice. If word got out that the princess had run away with a human.. Who knows what could happen. How the masses

would react. I couldn't risk it. Luna said that she would be his queen as well."

"Do you think they would try to bring down your reign?" The red pegasus asked her.

"Maybe. That man, Dust, he seems to be in possesion of some sort of powerfull magic. I've never seen anything like it.. And if that mixes with my

sisters magic.."

"No living creature can challenge you, princess." the old mare said. "And your guards will protect you. We will do our best to protect you as well."

The ponies around the table all nodded, agreeing.

"I truly hope you're right." Celestia answered in a low voice. "I only fear the way this mans magic might affect my sister."

"Luna is a strong mare." the unicorn said. "I'm sure she can stand up to that mans powers."

Celestia looked at the unicorn. There was something in his voice, something soothing, comforting.

If only she could believe his words.

The Ghastly Gorge. A place that ponies rarely visited. Not much lived in the ravine at all, and the animals of the wild usualy avoided it. It had been perfect.

All they needed was a cave, and after flying through the canyon for a while, they found exactly what they where looking for.

High up on the ledge, it was impossible to reach by climbing, and well hidden behind cliffs and plats growing on the walls. On one side of the cliff

there seemed to have been a landslide some time ago, and thanks to the scattered rocks, they could reach the cave, while the way down was covered by

more cliffs. They where almost completely invisible to anyone that didn't know about the cave.

The cave itself wasn't too big, but it was enough for them both to get enough space. Two days had passed since they left the crypt, and they where starting

to become strained from the constant fear of being discovered. As soon as they found the cave, Dust had gathered up materials to make it a bit

more inhabitable. They covered part of the entrance with ivy and various plants, as well as placing a few rocks around it to camoflauge it further.

Luna was thankful that she didn't have to sleep on hay anymore, or worse, the cold rock floor. With the use of several layers of moss, grass and branches

from pinetrees, they had constructed a cot that not only was comfortable, but also kept them warm.

Still, Luna felt more and more trapped. There really wasn't much for them to do except stand guard at the enctrance, sleep and talk. Sometimes they

argued, sometimes they made love. Anything to pass the time and to forget the fear.

Luna had started to pester Dust about his ring. Everyday, she asked again and again about it, and for every new question Dust got more and more

frustrated with her. But eventually, he gave in, and told her everything. How he'd found it, the training with the glass, the fact that it seemed to shield him

from different sorts of harm. His discovery that the magic inside it was more useful for destruction. The wings.

But he left out the part with what had happened when the ring came into contact with Raritys horn.. And Twilights.

He even told Luna about the strange things he'd seen, his nigthmares and all her supposed "warnings" she'd given him about Rarity.

But after that conversation, it was clear that it wasn't Luna that had warned him. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Although what it was that had talked to Dust so often remained a mystery, he didn't care about it anymore.

It seemed to be gone now, luckily. And whatever it was, it had led him to Luna. Without it, none of them would have realised the love for each other.

And even though Dust didn't want to think that way, he often figured that they could thank Rarity as well. If he had never met her, he would have never

met Luna either, and had been left unloved either way.

Despite the fact that his life with Rarity had come to such a sudden, tragic end, he still would do it all over again if he could. Anything to be with Luna.

"It's getting late, Dust." Lunas voice whispered behind him. "You should get some sleep. I'll take this watch."

Dust was sitting outside the cave entrance, on the cliff with his lower legs hanging out over the edge. The sun had almost set, only the top part of it could

be seen, spreading an orange light over the top part of the masive canyon. A chilly breeze blew across his face.

"It's okay, Luna." He answered. "I'll stay here, you try to sleep instead." He didn't turn his head to look at her, just continued to osberve the canyonfloor

in silence.

He heard Lunas hooves clicking against the stone as she walked up next to him, sitting herself down next to him on the edge.

"It's quite beautiful here.." She said, looking across the ravine, seeing al the formations of ice around the walls.

"Yeah." Dust answered quickly.

"Is something wrong?" Luna asked, sensing some worry in his voice.

"No.." Dust began." I just.. miss some things. Things from my world." he said in a low voice. "Like music."

"We have music too, you know." Luna answered him.

"Yeah, but not the same kind as in my world. Sure, you ponies sing, but there's never any real music. Back where I lived, there where always music and

singing. Thousands of different styles and voices. At that time I mostly thought it was annoying hearing all day long, but now that it's gone.. I realise

how much I miss it."

He exhaled loudly. Smoke rose from his lips. Luna wrapped her wing around him to keep him warm in the cold breeze.

"Well.." she said. "Do you remember any songs?"

Dust looked at her, a melancholy smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, a few. Mostly only my personal favourites though."

"We could.. sing some if you want to." Luna whispered with a small smile. "Me and Tia used to sing a lot together, when nopony else was around..

Completely horrible voices though."

They both chuckled.

"I think.. I would like that." Dust smiled at her. "Should I start, and you follow?"

"Sure." Luna smiled back. "Just don't laugh at my voice."

"And what if I do laugh?" Dust answered her with a grin.

".. We'll see." Luna said with an almost playful smile.

They both laughed again, hopping closer to each other in the cold wind.

"This is my absolute favourite song." Dust began.

He opened his mouth to gather his breath, then started singing in a low, deep voice.

"I want to live,

I want to give

I've been a miner

for a heart of gold."

His voice carried through the wind and across the canyon, creating an eerie, yet beautiful echo. For a moment, Luna sat silent, watching him as he sung.

Then, as she got into the melody and rythm, she joined in.

"It's these expressions

I never give

That keeps me searching

for a heart of gold"

For a split second between the lines, Dust stopped singing, trying to take in what he was hearing. Lunas voice was incredible.

"And I'm getting old.

Keeps me searching

for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old."

She smiled at him as she saw the epxression on his face. A mix between surprise and awe.

"I've been to Hollywood

I've been to Redwood

I crossed the ocean

for a heart of gold

I've been in my mind,"

God, her singing voice drove him mad. It was as if it made her look even more beautiful, it that was even possible.

"it's such a fine line

That keeps me searching

for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old.

Keeps me searching

for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old."

It felt as if all worries just washed away with the song.

"Keep me searching

for a heart of gold

You keep me searching

for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old.

I've been a miner

for a heart of gold."

As the song ended and Dust let his voice fade out, Luna did the same. For a few seconds, they both just looked at each other in complete silence.

"Luna.." Dust said. "Your voice, it's.. It's amazing."

"Really?" She answered, and he could see a little blush build up on her cheeks. "Tia tought me.."

"She must have been one hell of a teacher, I don't think I've ever heard such a strong, clear voice."

"Well, yours wasn't too bad either." Luna answered, giving him a shy smile. "By the way.. What was that song?"

Dust let out a quiet laugh.

"Back in my world, it was sung by The Man in Black, as some called him."

"How fitting." Luna laughed, and carefully nuzzled against the black hood covering his face.

Dust chuckled back, puting his arms around her, same as she had done with her wing.

"Oh, I just remembered something." Dust said, reaching his hand into his pocket and pulling out the two feathers he'd taken from Lunas wing.

"Sorry I did that, I just.. got an idea." He apologised.

"It's fine, dear." Luna answered. "Just.. Just give me a heads up the next time your gonna do something like that again." She said smiling.

"What were you planning to do with them, anyway?" She added.

"Well.." Dust began. "It's a bit hard to explain. But I could show you.."

Luna laughed, and faked a look of hurt.

"Last time you said that, you grew wings.." She said in a low voice.

"Don't worry, this isn't nearly as insane. I think." Dust answered. "But you're gonna have to back away a bit this time as well." He added as he slowly

got up from his seat.

Luna followed, and backed up just like he said, waiting with anticipation.

Dust held the two feathers in his hand. He raised it up a bit, and a red glow suddenly appeared around them. Slowly, the feathers raised themselfs up in his

hand, pointing straight into the sky. For a moment, they stayed in his hand, hovering. Then, Dust twitched his hand upwards, and they rocketed into the sky,

dissapearing up into the clouds.

"That's it?" Luna asked.

Dust told her to wait a few more seconds. He then looked up into the sky. Luna followed his gase.

Something came spinning downwards towards him. He reached up both his hands to grab it. It looked big, giving away a dull shine as it spun around.

Luna gasped in surprise as two swords landed perfectly in Dust's hands. The handles where in some gray material Luna didn't recognise, with oddly

curved hilts and a pommel shaped like a cresent moon, both tips pointing downwards.

The blades were even more strange. Slightly curved at the middle, they looked as if they had one day been perfectly straight, but years of missuse had

damaged them, bending the blade in odd shapes. The steel itself had a matt blue color, and gave away a dull gleem.

Luna realised that the swords actually resembled her. Her cutie mark as pommel, the color of her coat engraved over the blade.

"How did you do that..?" She whispered slowly.

"I'm not really sure." Dust answered. "I honestly believed the feathers would just blow away.."

"If you can turn feathers into blades.. That ring must be incredibly powerful."

"Yeah. I just envisioned something, anything, to protect you with.." He carefully tried one of the swords out, swiping it throught the air. "These things

can protect us, that's for sure. Now I just need a couple of scabbards to carry them in."

"You're keeping them?" Luna said as she walked back up to him, inspecting the swords closer.

"Unless you want me to pull out more feathers." Dust answered with a grin. "Now come on, we should get some sleep."

The Void that Shatters

Silence. Shadow. The moon had dissapeared behind the clouds, sending the gorge into darkness. Not a single sound could be heard, even the howling

winds had stopped. It seemed almost as if time had come to a halt.

Dust and Luna were both sleeping, lost in their dreams. Curled up tightly together on the makeshift bed, coated in blankets. Luna on her side, Dust holding

her, pressed against her back with his head resting on her neck. If they hadn't been hiding in a cold cave, hunted like animals, it might have been a rather

romantic, heartwarming sight. The two lovers, being able to relax and feel safe by each others presence.

None of them woke up as a black figure appeared in the entrance to the cave.

It observed the sleeping couple in silence from where it stood, barely even breathing. Carefully, it entered the cave. It's hooves didn't make

a sound as they hit the floor of the cave. The black figure stopped a few feet away from the couple, looking down at their peaceful faces.

An alicorn and a human. Something the intruder never thought it would see.

It lowered it's head to look at them more closely. The princess was of no interest, and the figure ignored her. Instead, it closely examined every part

of Dust's face and shoulders, finaly coming to a stop upon seeing the string around his neck. That was it.

"Sleep well, Carrier." The figure whispered. "The Void spreads."

Dust opened his eyes.

He turned his head to look around the cave. Empty. Of course. Maybe it was just a dream, but he felt someone was watching him. But there was nopony

there except Luna, snoosing loudly next to him.

A smile grew on his face as he looked at her. She looked so pretty the way her eyes moved in her sleep, her mouth slightly open as she slept soundly.

At times like these, Dust forgot everything about the fear they lived every day. It faded away whenever he saw his blue mare. He longed for the day

they could wake up together in bed without being affraid of death every day.

But maybe that day would never come.

Maybe they would just run away until they both got captured, then executed for all the world to see. Maybe they would die from starvation or frostbite.

Or the worst case scenario: that they eventually got fed up with each other. Then all of this would have been for nothing. If their love is defeated, and they

go separate ways, perhaps to the gallows out of their own free will.

Dust didn't care about his own life, but he would not let anything happen to Luna. She was more important than anything else. He wouldn't be able

to live with the knowledge that he caused her death, that he had been a part of the death of the most wonderful mare in the world.

Again.

Rarity. She still haunted his dreams, even though he just wanted to forget. Wanted to move on, become a better man, become a better husband.

Then maybe he could take off this ring as well. Even though he had no desire to take it off now, useful as it was, he still longed for the day he could be rid

of it, be rid of the responsibility.

Dust did his best to push these thoughts aside, they wouldn't do him any good right now. He instead focused on his loved one, thinking about how much

Luna had changed his life these past few days. Even though their relationship hadn't begun like a normal one, she still meant the world to him.

He carefully gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she smiled in her sleep, muttering his name. He layed down his head next to hers again, and drifted off into

sleep.

"You know, you really should try to conceal yourself a bit more." Dust said with a laugh as he walked next to Luna.

"Don't start again, love." Luna answered, rolling her eyes at him.

They where walking through the cold forest. The snow wasn't as thick here, and the sun was getting warmer, a sure sign that winter might be moving on

soon. Or maybe it was just a temporary heatspike, and they where lucky enough to have chosen that day.

Dust was carrying branches and moss between his hands, and some thicker ones jammed between his upper arms and ribs. He'd even managed to find

some edible berries and plants. It wasn't much, but it was something, and a few berries felt like a grand supper when you hadn't had anything

to eat for several days.

Luna had helped him, carrying a few more branches and logs with the help of her magic.

"Listen." Dust said back to her. "I know we're far out in nowhere, but still, your blue coat could be seen from a mile away."

"I told you, it's fine." Luna answered, giving him a somewhat annoyed look. "And your so-called 'camo'.." She gave Dust a mocking grin.

"Well, at least I tried." Dust countered back.

And by god, did he try. He tried using his belt as a collar for Luna, attaching branches and other various items from the nature to it, to try and conceal

her coat. It didn't work, and only made Luna look like a giant hedgehog, something she pointed out several times during his work. So, he tried

just pouring snow on her back instead. Naturly, a failure.

"Yes, and you probably succeded in giving me a cold." Luna replied. "That idea with the snow.."

"I'll warm you up when we get back to the cave." Dust said to her, smiling.

Luna blushed as she realised what he meant.

"And you want to go to bed with me? After you almost turned me into a hedgehog?" Luna said with a smile. "A blue one at that?"

Dust chuckled back at her.

"Not really. Blue hedgehogs isn't really my style.." Dust answered her, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss as they kept on walking. "But I'll take you

anyday, dear."

They both smiled at each other, and Luna let out a shy giggle at his words. They stayed silent for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest.

A few birds could be heard somewhere far off, and the wind had finaly stopped.

"Do you miss her?" Lunas voice broke the silence.

Dust didn't answer. The question took him by complete surprise, and he didn't like it. He wanted to avoid thinking about her as well. He remained silent.

The birds in the distance stopped their chirping, and the only sounds where that of Dust and Lunas feet trampling through the thin layer of ice on top

of the snow. Cracking sounds. The same sounds Dust heard in his head whenever he thought about her..

"Almost every day." He finaly admitted.

Luna looked at him with sad eyes.

"I don't want to think about her, about what I did to her." He continued.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.." Luna said in a low voice.

"No.." Dust answered. "It's fine. I probably should talk about her.. Maybe that would help me to forget her."

"You'll never forget the ones you love." Luna replied.

"I know." Dust answered in a short voice. "Maybe it's foolish to try to forget. But I just can't stand the memories."

Luna took a few steps to the side, getting closer to him.

"I know how it feels, love." She began, but Dust interupted her.

"Do you? Do you really know how I feel?" Dust stopped in his tracks.

Luna didn't notice it at first, and stopped after a few more seconds. She turned around to look at him.

"Look me in the eyes." Dust said with a sad voice. "Look me in the eyes and try to honestly say that, Luna."

She didn't answer.

"I thought so." Dust said quickly, and began walking again, going right past Luna.

She looked at him, feeling a singe of pain in her heart. Then she set off after him, quickly trotting up by his side again. Carefully, she nuzzled against his arm.

"I'm sorry, Dust.. I didn't mean to hurt you.." She said slowly.

Dust didn't answer, he just kept on walking through the snow.

"Fine, I don't know how you feel." Luna said in a somewhat sturdier voice. "But I want to know, Dust. I want you to talk to me, share your mind with me.

I want to be able to be there for you, to comfort you when you need it. That's something a queen does for her king."

Dust remained silent, but something slowly started to change in his eyes.

"Maybe I'll never understand your feelings, but I know how painful memories can be. Not a single day goes by without me thinking about the moon.

I'll never forget that part of my life, no matter how much I want to. Instead, I've learned to just push it away. Push it into the back of my head, because

there's nothing else to do. You learn, and you move on."

Dust stopped in his tracks, lowering his head, looking at the ground.

"And that's something you need to do as well, dear." Luna said as she walked up in front of him. "No matter what we've done, we have to forgive ourselfs.

Otherwise, you'll just spend the rest of your life dwelling on your mistakes, instead of seeing the good things that lay ahead of you."

Luna couldn't see Dust's eyes since they where covered by his hood, but she could clearly see the tears that ran down his face. Feeling another tug

at her heart, she spread her wings around him in an embrace, putting the side of her head against his chest.

"And I don't care what you've done. What's done is done, and I don't love you any less because of it. I'll always be yours, no matter what."

She looked back up at his face and gave him a soft kiss to show him she was honest.

"Luna, I.." Dust began, but his voice failed him.

"Every night, I look back at Equestria from the moon in my dreams." Luna whispered, tears starting to well up. "But now.. Maybe I wont have to fear

my dreams anymore, with you beside me."

".. I.. I love you so much, Luna.." Dust answered, not knowing what else to say.

He wanted to hug her back, but he couldn't just drop the things he was carrying.

"I love you too, sweetie." Luna answered, and kissed him again.

Dust let the things in his hands fall to the ground. Finaly he could wrap his arms around her and hold her. Pressing her closer, he kissed her as if his life

depended on it, as if they both would fall dead to the ground if their lips parted.

"Such a touching scene.."

A voice reached their ears.

They broke the kiss and looked around to locate the owner of the voice. Luna gasped quietly.

Standing a few meters away was a pony. A unicorn, to be precise. With black coat and a cloak covering most of its face and body, it almost

reminded Luna of Dust.

"Don't stop because of me." The pony said in a mocking tone. "Go on, I'm quite curious as to where this will end."

From the voice, it was clearly a mare. A thin stray of silver hair hung out from underneath her hood. The hood itself had a hole on the top to allow

the horn to pass through it. Dust quessed it also prevented the hood from falling off and revealing the mares face.

"Who are you?" Dust asked.

"And what do you want?" Luna continued.

They quickly tore away from each other, and Dust cautiously placed his hand on the handle of the sword hanging in his belt.

"My name is not important." The mare answered. "I'm merely a Seeker. As to what I want.." She looked straight at Dust. "I'm here for you, Carrier."

"You will not touch him." Luna said in a cold voice, quickly positioning herself between Dust and the mare.

A flash of silver light. A quiet whimper.

Luna fell to the ground.

"Luna!" Dust yelled out, quickly rushing to her aid.

"Don't worry." The mare said as the glow around her horn faded. "She's not injured, only paralized. She can still see and hear everything."

Dust kneeled next to his beloved, gently stroking her face. Her eyes where wide open, but they didn't move. Dust whispered her name, but Luna didn't react.

She just stared blankly at him, looking straight through him. He lowered his head to her face, pressing his forehead against her temple.

"You should.. run.." Dust said to the mare without looking at her. He felt something squirm inside him.

"On the contrary." The mare replied. "You'd better run, or I'll just have to kill you where you stand. Or kneel, as it is."

A stroke of red flashed before Dust's eyes.

Before the mare had time to move, he rushed to his feet, drawing his sword as he did. A split second later he brought it down on the mare.

Dust fell forwards as the sword cleaved through nothing but air. He hit a tree face-first and groaned in pain.

A sparkling sound could be heard, and Dust turned around just in time so see a silver bolt of lightning rush towards him. He quickly dove down,

and the magic hit the tree behind him. He roled around as splinters of wood hit him, and he saw a glimpse of the tree, broken down the middle, falling

to the ground with a deafening roar.

Dust got to his feet as another lightning bolt missed him, and instead burned the snow on the ground. He rushed towards the mare as she charged her

magic once again. But before she could unleash it, Dust reached his free hand towards her, and a blast of red light shot out from it. Five lines,

one from each finger, twisting through the air and creating a small vortex of magic.

It hit the cloaked mare dead in her face. She cried out in pain when the impact sent her spiraling backwards through the air. She hit the trunk of a tree,

then fell silent to the ground.

"LUNA!" Dust cried out.

He ran for her, dropping his sword to the ground as he approached her. In his desperation to reach her, he tripped in the snow and fell to the ground,

landing just next to her. He crawled the last few feet, tears of fear running down his cheeks.

"Luna!" He called out to her. "Luna, can you hear me? Please, answer me!"

In his head, and all too familiar scene played out, and Dust forgot that Luna had only been paralized.

"Come on, wake up!" He yelled. "Luna, don't leave me now, not like this!"

He put his arms around her, hugging her close and sobbing into her mane.

"Please don't be dead.. I can't lose you too.."

Luna saw it all. From her place in the snow, she could see her lover break down over her imobolised body. She wanted to cry out to him, to tell him she

was allright. Dust's tears seaped from her mane down her neck, and her eyes started to well up as well.

When Dust saw the tears in Lunas eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He cried out, almost laughing from pure joy.

"You're alive!" he exclaimed, putting his hands around her cheeks and pushing hes face against hers.

He gave her a kiss, then got back on his feet. She couldn't stay here, she'd freeze. He went to pick up his sword and carefully slid it back into his belt.

Before he went back to Luna, he went to check on the unicorn mare. Luckily, she was still breathing, only knocked out.

Without showing anymore care for the unicorn, he went back to Luna. He reached down, brushed her mane of her face. Then he reached around her and

tried to pick her up in his arms. Thankfully, she didn't weigh much, considering her size. He could easily pick her up and throw her over his shoulders.

Then, he set off back to the cave.

Luna saw snow. Nothing more than snow and Dust's robe flapping around his legs as he ran. If she hadn't been paralized, she might have thought the

situation somehwat arousing, his soft hands pressed against her in a firm grip. But all she could think about now was his heartbeat. She felt it

clearly, growing in pace the longer Dust ran. She counted every beat to calm herself down.

Finaly, the snow gave way to stone. Dust had reached the gorge. He slowed down his pace as he began to descend the rocky mountainside carefully.

A few loose rocks gave way as he stepped on them, and both his and Lunas heart skipped a beat.

Reaching the cave, he sat Luna down outside off it, resting her against the wall. He moved her head so she could see straight.

"Listen Luna, you're going to be okay." he said, looking into her eyes. "I'm going to use my magic on you, just try to stay calm, alright?"

Of course, Luna didn't answer him. But on the inside, she felt both scared and hopefull. She knew what his magic could do, having witnessed the creation

of the swords. But now she had also seen it's destructive force.. She felt Dust's lips press against hers, followed by a quick "I love you."

Dust moved away from her, closed his eyes and pointed his hands towards her. He dull red light started to grow in his palms. Luna watched as it grew

stronger, moving around in his hands. Dust moved his fingers, and the light slowly passed through the air towards her. The moment before it hit her

she wanted to yell out in pain, affraid that it might do more harm than good.

Then she felt the magic surround her. Slowly, a soothing sensation began to spread through her body. She managed to blink one of her eyes.

Dust smiled as he saw her eyes move, but didn't break the beam of magic. But for some reason, Luna had started blinking her eyes more rapidly, almost

frantic.

"What's wrong honey?" He asked her, trying to get her to move more.

But she just kept on blinking her eyes, faster and faster.

Faster and faster she blinked, as she saw the cloaked unicorn mare sneak up behind Dust. She tried to warn him, but could only watch as she came closer.

She wanted to yell out to him, otherwise she would have to watch her only source of joy in life die right in front of her.

The mare was so close now, she could just reach out and put her legs around his throat..

Finaly, Luna could open her mouth again.

"Dust, behind you!"

Dust spun around just as the mare pounced him. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck, closing them in a deadly grip. Dust grabbed them,

trying to pry them off, but it was no use, the unicorn where somehow stronger than him. Luna continued to yell for him while he tried to get the mare

off of him.

When he couldn't budge her legs, he instead tried hiting hos back against the canyon walls. Every time he slammed against the rocks, the mare cried out

in pain, but not for a second did she let go of him. Yet somehow, the magic where still working, and Luna could move her forelegs again. Not that

it would do her any good. Maybe she could drag her self over to Dust's body once he..

"Dust!" She yelled out again.

He couldn't answer. His vision started to fade as the pressing legs around his neck closed his suply of air. He felt life seep away as he fell to his knees

next to the edge of the cliff. He couldn't fight against it anymore. Slowly, he fell backwards. He could see Luna crawling ower towards him as he fell.

He saw the tears in her eyes, the look of pure terror and despair on her face.

Then she disapeared as he fell over the edge.

The mare still clutched his neck as they plummeted through the air. He could hear someone scream at the top of their lungs somewhere close by.

In his head, he could only see Luna. She would be all alone now, without him to keep her safe. He would be dead, but his love for her would live on.

With the last strain of his consiousness, he envisioned his wings in his mind.

A second later, they jolted out through his back. He heard the unicorn cry out as the wings hit her, pushing her off of him into the air. She kept on

screaming, and Dust drew in a few breaths, barely keeping himself awake. The mares scream was cut off as the sound of flesh meatin stone

echoed across the gorge.

Dust managed to flap his wings once, but it wasn't enough to stop his fall. He tucked his wings around himself like a shield.

Then, a loud bang, and pain. Dust drifted off into darkness.

Luna cried the name of her lover as she dragged herself along the cliff. She could only barely move her hindlegs, and they didn't help her get any closer.

He body burned from pain as frozen rocks dug into her skin, but she didn't care. She needed to reach the edge. She had to get to Dust.

She cried out his name once again, hoping for an answer. But no answer came to her. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she didn't care to hide her sorrow.

She screamed out her pain and grief, as if her long lifes enitre sadness made it's way out of her in a single breath. Crying like a baby, the way a grown

up person never should cry. The kind of crying that would make you fall dead from nothing but pure sadness.

When you feel your very soul seep out through your tears.

She finaly reached the edge, and flung her head over it. But all she could see was the abyss, and the river far below. No signs of life. Or death. Nothing.

Her tears fell from her face, making their way through the air to the bottom of the gorge. Her cries echoed loudly, and for a brief moment she wanted

to toss herself of the cliff as well, and join Dust in eternity.

Once her hindlegs worked again, she finaly managed to stand up, but there was no end to her wailing. Still, she managed to hold herself from jumping.

She just had to wait, soon her wings would work again. She could fly down there, she could find him. It was her only choice. Doing something drastic

as killing herself wouldn't solve anything. If Dust had survived the fall, she could find him, save him. They could get out from this hellish place.

Leave Equestria altogether, and live somewhere els, as husband and wife. She wanted that life so badly. Just the two of them.

"Dust.." She whispered. "I'll find you, my love.."

She swallowed down her pain.

"I promise."

Aurora

Far away, in another world, a pair of eyes opened slowly. A sea of bright blue fills their vision. Nothing moves. Nothing breaks the surface of the color.

Something white passes through the blue ocean. Like an unkown vessel, it glides across the waves. Underneath, the hands of the fallen reach up towards

the vessels bow. Perhaps they reach for their comrades.

The vessel passed, and once again everything stays calm. For centuries, nothing will disturb it again. Slowly, the bright blue color would fade, giving way

to grey and white. And the eyes will watch it forever. Never blinking, never missing anything, it guards this strange land until the end of days.

This is how it was supposed to be. How it was supposed to end. But it did not.

A long time before the blue colour dissapeared, something actually dared to break the surface. A strange object, pulsating with life and bright light.

Slowly, it pierced through the sea, spreading its rays far and wide. And the eyes saw this. They saw this beacon of hope in the endless blue.

Warm beams of hope reached the eyes, and slowly, they realised something. They belonged to something. They belonged to a body.

A body that could move.

At this moment, Dust finaly moved. He was on his back, staring into an endless sea of blue. The sky. The sun shined brightly into his face,

and he wanted to put his hands over his eyes to shadow them, but he couldn't. As he began to feel his body again, pain engulfed him.

He called out, but no sounds came from his throat. The pain was too strong, he couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes again, letting himself drift off once more.

"Dust!"

Lunas yell echoed across the gorge as she flew through the air, searching for her loved one. She didn't care if her shouting would attract her sisters guards, she just wanted to find Dust, at any cost.

But so far, she'd had no luck. The only body she'd found was that of the mare. Luna didn't want to see it, but she had to make sure.

The mare had been crushed against a cliff, her body almost broken in two. Luna felt her insides twist at the sight, and she quickly turned away.

She'd never seen so much blood. If she found Dust in the same manner..

"Dust, can you hear me?!"

She followed the river downstream in hopes of finding him. Once she felt she had gone far enough, she landed on one side of the river and searched it

all the way back up to where she began, and then did the same on the other side. Over and over. But the longer she kept on going, the heavier her heart became.

And then she saw something floating in the river. Something rather big, black.. like Dust's coat.

She yelled his name and rushed down towards him. The cold water didn't bother her as she broke the surface of it, she just kept on going. Luna wrapped

her legs around Dust's body, heaving herself up from the water with her wings. Drenched and cold, she dropped down on the riverbank. But she didn't

look at Dust. Not yet, she wasn't ready to see.. what had become of him.

For what felt like hours, she layed on her side on the cold ground, panting heavily and crying. Crying beacuse she knew what she would see when she

turned around. If Dust had been alive, he would have moved by now. Finaly, Luna steeled herself. She had to know, had to see her lover.

She turned around. And saw the body.

But it was just a log. A big log, blackened from ash and soot. In her frantic attempts to find Dust, she had instead saved a log.

Angered at herself for being so stupid, she stood up, shouting at it. She charged up her horn, and a bolt of blue magic flew through the air, exploding the log in black splinters.

Luna once again fell to the ground and cried.

Dust screamed in agony as he tried to move his right leg. He strained himself to move his head, and as he did, he could finaly see where he was.

But the sight that met him almost made him wish he'd never opened his eyes. Nothing but sand, as far as he could see. Masive dunes of sand.

Looking down at his leg, he saw something that made his heart stop.

He'd had the sword in is belt on his right hip, and somehow as he landed the sword had ended up underneath his body, slicing its way straight into his right

thigh. The pain became stronger every second.

Seeing no other option, he managed to get up in a sitting position. He put both his hands around the knee, drawing a few breaths to calm down.

Then he pulled his leg straight up. He cried out in pain as the blade slipped out off his leg, leaving a big open wound in its place.

Now that it had been pulled out, blood started gushing from the wound, covering the sand underneath him.

He squirmed around in agony, trying to press his hand against the wound to stop the bleeding. But it didn't work, and as he moved around, blood sprayed

over the sand, like random strands of red paint on an endless canvas. Despite the pain, Dust still managed to focus his brain, and he reached out for the

sword again. Quickly, he used it to cut off a part of his robe, wich he then tied hard around the wound. It seemed to work, as the blood slowly stopped.

He collapsed in the sand again. Panting heavily, he did his best to ignore the pain, instead trying to remember how he got here.

Luna. The black mare. Falling.

He must have landed in the river, and his wings probably protected him from the impact. Then the river carried him here. He had to be far south, seeing as

he was in a vast desert, and before he fell it had been winter. And Luna.. He'd left her. In a sudden jolt of panic, he rushed to his feet, ready to find her.

ready to..

But the pain in is leg brought him back to his senses. Screaming, he fell back into the sand face-first. The sand got into his mouth, nose and eyes, and he

started coughing violently. He tried to rub it out of his eyes, but it only made it worse, and his vision blurred. He crawled in the sand, panting and screaming.

Then, he saw something. At first, Dust couldn't make it out, since it was so far away, but whatever it was, he tried crawling towards it.

As he came closer, he could see colours.. Purple.

"... Rarity?" He said, but his voice became merely a whisper after all the screaming and the sand in his throat. "Is.. Is that you? Rare..?"

It really was Rarity, standing a few feet away from him. But she wasn't looking at him, instead she was turned slightly to the right, observing something

in the distance. Her white coat gleamed in the bright sun, and her purple mane and tail seemed to almost move like fog in the slight, warm breeze.

Getting closer to her, Dust reached his hand up towards her. She looked down at him, her eyes hollow and empty. As Dust's hand touched her hoof, her

eyes closed, and slowly, she layed herself down in the sand, without breaking eyecontact with him. Dust tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"Don't worry, dear." Rarity spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "It wasn't your fault."

"I.." Dust managed to whisper. "I.. forgive.. me.."

"I forgave you a long time ago." Rarity replied. "I know you didn't want to hurt me. I won't blame you anymore."

Dust wanted to cry, but the sand in his eyes made it impossible. It felt as if his heart stopped beating yet again as the white unicorn reached her head forward.

Pressing her lips against his. A few seconds later, something in her eyes changed. Dust watched as she slowly changed, her white coat turning into a more

beige colour, and her mane fading in color as well. Then she was gone. Turned to sand, and slowly blowing away in the wind.

Broken, Dust let his face fall into the sand again. Would she ever let him be?

"Dust. Get up."

Another voice. It wasn't Rarity this time. But there was no mistaking that voice. It had returned, back to haunt him.

"Go.. away.." Dust mumbled into the sand.

Something grabbed his shoulders. Roughly, he was flipped around on his back. Staring down on him.. was a blue angel.

"You.." Dust whispered. "You're.. not.. real.."

"I'm as real as you." Luna answered.

"No.. You're.. not my.. Luna.." he replied.

"Of course I am, dear." She said coldly.

"... No!" Dust shouted, and somehow got up to his feet. "You're not.. real! I'm.. I.. am done with.. you!"

He still had the sword in his hand, and he clumsily tried to swing it at the creature in front of him. But the blade just passed through it, as if was nothing

but smoke.

"That wasn't very nice, Dust.." Luna said to him.

Looking at her with anger in his eyes, he raised his sword again, shouting.

"Get.. out of my mind!"

He swung the sword at her over and over, but to no avail.

"YOU'LL NEVER BE RID OFF ME!" Luna shreiked at the top of her lungs, her voice sounding distorted, unnatural.

Dust shouted back at her. He threw himself at her, but only landed in the sand behind her. He got up again, ready to strike, but stopped as another figure

appeared next to Luna.

"Don't listen to her, Dust." Rarity spoke. "You have to believe me."

"She's lying!" Luna spouted, looking at Rarity with burning eyes.

"No!" Rarity countered back. "She's the one that's lying, Dust, she's just using y-"

Rarity fell silent as Luna smacked her in the face. Instantly, Rarity dissapeared into thin air.

"Filthy little whore." Luna said with a disgusted voice. "She will do nothing but decieve you."

Dust said nothing, too exhausted after the aimless swinging.

"It's me you want, right?" Luna asked him.

"I don't need you.. anymore." Dust said between his panting breaths. "I.. have the.. real.. Luna."

And with that, he turned around and forced himself to walk away from her. Even though his legs felt like it was on fire, he had to get away from that.. thing.

Luna didn't seem to follow him. Sudenly, Rarity appeared in front of him again.

"Dust, what happened wasn't your fault." She said.

"You're.. dead.." He answered her as he walked past her. "None of you.. are real.."

"Dust, listen to me." She said as she followed him. "You have to stop blaming yourself, if yor ever going to live a normal life with Luna, you have to let it go."

"How could I?" Dust replied. "I ..killed you, Rare.. with my bare hands.."

"No, you didn't." Rarity insisted. "Someone else was controling-"

"You'll never be rid off me."

Raritys voice dissapeared as the distorted version of Lunas voice rang in his ears. He yelled out in fear, and without looking around, he ran.

For every step he took, he thought his leg would brake off.

"I'll haunt you for ever, Dust."

"NO! Leave me alone!" Dust yelled, picking up his pace.

He ran as fast as he could through the sand, sinking down to his ankles with every step. He couldn't feel his right leg anymore, and not having the constant

pain from the wound made it somewhat easier to run.

"Dream on."

As the voice sounded inside his head once more, Dust felt his body fall. For a split second, he believed that he had just tripped, but the impact never came.

Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but blackness, and a small speck of light in front of him, getting smaller and smaller, and at the same time he felt

wind tugging at his clothes.

Then he realised he really was falling, falling down what seemed to be a bottomless pit. Trying to relax, he envisioned his wings again. But it was too late.

Right after his wings had appeared, he slammed hard into the ground, landing on his back. Dust screamed in pain as the wings cracked under his weight,

breaking like twigs. His cries of agony echoed daftly around the walls of the pit, sounding like a dozen more persons screaming, yet at the same time muffled,

as if they where all enclosed in something.

He curled up into a ball, holding himself close as he cried. He rarely cried from pain, but he did so now. Cried like a baby as his leg had gone numb,

and his wings fluttered around by themselfs. Like a bird that had fallen from the sky, unfit for life. A pathetic, broken crow, not worthy to take to the

clouds any more. He would never be able to get back up again, and he would die right here. Broken and shattered.

Luna momentarily lost track of her wings. She plummeted to the ground a split second before she regained control. Her heart pounded fast from the

sudden downfall. Slowly, she began descending through the air towards the ground. She landed right next to the river, and the moment her hooves

touched ground, a singe of pain spread through her wings. Seemed she might had strained herself to much.

Instead, she kept on walking along the river. She still hadn't seen any sign of Dust, or any living creature what so ever. Luckily, she had moved so far

south along the river that the snow had almost dissapeared, giving way to different kinds of plants and trees than the ones she'd seen earlier.

If she kept on moving, she would soon emerge into the southern deserts, and hopefully the river would stop there. And she would find Dust.

No matter if he was alive or not, she would still lay down next to him, hold him, stroke his hair and kiss him. She'd never actually really touched

his hair earlier, and now she just wanted to bury her face in it, like he used to with her mane. Then, she'd lift him up in her arms and fly him off to safety.

Anywhere, as long as they where far away from her sister. Spend the rest of their days together happily, wake up next to each other every morning

and make sweet love as the sun set outside their window..

"Focus, Luna, focus." She shook her head, trying to push those thoughts into the back of her head.

She wouldn't be able to experience these things with a dead body, and had to focus all her thoughts on the small spark of hope that Dust was still alive.

Just keep on going, putting down one hoof after the other. She picked up her pace, keeping a close eye on the river next to her.

Dust staggered to his feet. His wings hung limply from his back, and their dead weight shifted his balance. He managed to stay upright, and looked at his

surroundings. He was in a cave, and he could see that it was a bit larger than he first had thought. The sunlight still shined down through the hole high

above his head, creating a circle of light in the shadows around him. Clouds of sand rained down from above.

"Hello..?" He coughed out, then realising how stupid it would be to think anything could live down here.

The only answer he got was his own echo.

He spun around, trying to see anything through the darkness, but was unable to find anything. Dust instead tried to use his magic to create some light

around him. But nothing happened. Quickly, he raised his hand to his chest, and found that the string holding the ring in place was gone. He must

have dropped it in the fall. It couldn't have gone far though, he just had to look around.. That's when he realised his sword was gone as well.

"This.." He whispered to himself with a hissing voice. ".. this isn't good.."

Not knowing what else to do, he slowly got down on his knees on the ground, reaching his hands out in the darkness, searching for anything useful.

He crawled around on his knees, running his hands all around the circle of light. Eventually, he had no choice but to leave the circle. He crawled into the

shadows, and his entire body instantly went cold.

His frustration and fear grew as he ventured further away from the comforting light, and he crawled around in circles. Just as he was about to give up

and go back, his hand bumped against something hard in the sand. Carefully, he let his fingers slide over the object. It was smooth, with something that

felt like carvings.. He grabbed the ring without hesitating, quickly finding the string and hanging it around his neck. The fear inside him faded away

as he once again felt magic pulsate through him.

"Now.." Dust spoke out in a clearer voice. "Give me some light, damn it."

His head started to spin, and he felt his eyes water. For a split second, he thought something was wrong as flashes of red flew across his eyes again.

That was never a good sign.

But just a moment later, the red flashes mover out of his eyes, materialising into a couple of small orbs of red light. Slowly, they rose through the air,

spinning around each other, almost as if they where playing.. Then they collided, forming a much bigger orb. Its red light became stronger, and it illuminated

several feet around him, much stronger than a regular torch.

Dust could now see his surroundings, but it wasn't much to be happy about anyway. Just more sand covering the ground, and strangely formed rocks

dotted the floor, walls and ceiling around him. He started exploring more of the cave without moving to far away from the circle of light in the middle.

Luckily, he didn't have to look too long for his sword. It lay partially buried in the sand, and since he didn't see it he hit his foot against the pommel.

His right foot, unfortunately.

As it colided with the moon-shaped pommel, it felt as if the entire leg finaly came back to life, and waves of pain rushed through his body, eminating from

the wound. Biting down the pain, he reached down and picked up the sword.

And then, there was a noice.

A faint, fading sound, a whisper. Like the rustling of leaves in the wind. Dust spun around with the sword firmly squeezed in his hands.

"Who's there?!" He called out into the darkness.

No answer came to him, only more whispers. Slowly, he spun around in his spot, but couldn't see any movement. He carefully walked further into the

cave. The whispers became louder.

"Show yourselves!" Dust yelled.

Again, no answer.

After a few more steps, Dust could clearly see another tunnel, leading further into the cave. He took a deep breath and entered it.

The further into the tunnel he came, the louder the whispers became, and they started to form into words, endless words repeated over and over again.

It was impossible to understand anything. After a while, Dust could see light at the end of the tunnel. He picked up the pace, and moved as fast as he could

with his injured leg and wings flailing about behind him.

The whisperes had grown so loud, he could no longer hear his own footsteps. He tried to run faster, tried to outrun the voices before they got into his head.

And suddenly, they all dissapeared. He had entered the light, and emerger into a vast room in the cave. Not another cave no, it was in fact a real room,

with flat walls reaching high up in the ceiling, with a hole at the top where light shined down from the surface.

In the middle of the room, placed perfectly in the circle of light, was a masive spire of what looked to be some sort of sandstone.

Around the base of it, sand had gathered in an uneven dune, partially covering something at the bottom of the spire. As Dust stepped closer to the strange

pillar, he could see that it was covered in strange markings, carvings and even runes.

Examining the markings, Dust could make out almost everything from nordic runes to Egyptian hieroglyphs, Roman letters and Celtic symbols, mixed up

with different carvings of ponies. Taking a few steps closer, he could make out some alchemic symbols as well as a few Mayan ones.

And in the middle of it all; a big cresent moon, with a smaller sun, complete with rays, inside it.

"What.. the fuck..?" Dust exhaled slowly.

"Please don't use that kind of language in here, young man."

Dust's heart stopped as the voice reached his ears.

He spun around with his sword raised, and saw a figure standing in the shadows just a few feet away.

"Who are you?" Dust asked the figure.

"My name.." The figure said, taking a few steps forward at the same time. ".. is Aurora."

The figure became visible in the red light. Dust instantly raised his sword. It was another mare, looking almost exactly like the one that had attacked him

earlier, except this one wasn't wearing a cloak. It's coat was pitch black, and the mane and tail a glistening silver. But the thing that caught Dust's attention

was that it did not only have a unicorn horn, but also.. wings.

"Wait.. you're.." He began.

"The last of the Alicorns." The pony filled in.

Luna stopped in her tracks as the gorge finaly gave way, and the mighty deserts showed themselves before her. She panted heavily from the running,

but only allowed herself a short break before she pushed on. It couldn't be far now, the river had to stop eventually.

After having rested her wings as she ran, Luna slowly spread them out, gave them a few flaps to see if it hurt. A bit, but it wasn't too bad.

Quickly, she took flight. She rushed through the air, following the river across the dunes of sand and the red mountain formations.

Catching a glimspe of the sun, she realised it would soon set. She had to find him before nightfall, or it would be much harder to locate him.

She dove down closer to the river, and could see that the current had almost stopped. A good sign, and she flapped her wings harder.

Then, she spotted something on one of the banks. As she flew closer, she could see a lot of footprints in the sand, as well as dried bloodstains covering

the ground. Dust's blood.

"Nononononononono!" She kept repeating as she landed, franticly looking over the tracks.

All this blood.. He'd lost a lot, and perhaps he had allready bled to death somewhere out in the desert. Tears began to well in her eyes as she searched

for tracks leading away from the stains. If he had taken of into the dunes, she had too catch up to him fast. And after a few moments, Luna saw

clear footprints leading away. She followed them, observing their pattern.

At first, it looked like he had been draging himself across the ground, small drops of blood followed the tracks. But then the prints stopped, and there

where several lines in the sand, as well as foot-prints spread out randomly, as if he had been running back and forth in circles. Eventually, the tracks

once again took off, this time in a completely different direction, and he had been walking instead of crawling.

Luna started running as the space between the tracks grew, a sure sign that Dust had been running. And then they stopped. A hole opened up

before her in the sand like the jaws of a beast, hiding underneath the sands, waiting for the prey to fall in.. And Dust had done just that.

She looked down into the black hole, and thought she could make out the bottom far below. If he was down there..

Drawing in a few breaths to calm herself, she spread her wings yet again, and dove into the hole.

Revelations

"The last of the Alicorns?" Dust answered the black mare, confused. "How can you be the last?"

"All the others have long since passed." The mare answered him.

She had an odd accent, and Dust couldn't decide what it was. It reminded him of ceveral accents from his own world, and he could hear traces of both

french and.. Maybe it was.. italic..? He had no idea.

"What about the princesses?" He asked. "Celestia and Luna. They're still alive, and Luna might be on her way here now.. I think."

"We do not trouble ourselves with the sisters." The mare said in a cold voice. "They are nothing but pawns in a game."

"What are you talking about?" Dust said, lowering his sword a bit.

"The game of Void." The mare answered his question. "And I dare say, you have played it rather well, Carrier."

There it was again. Carrier. The other mare had called him that as well, before she attacked him.

"Are you.. involved with the unicorn that tried to kill me earlier?" He asked hesitantly.

"I presume you mean Equinox." She answered. "Yes, she and I are part of the same.. Organisation. How is she?"

"I think she's dead." Dust said with a blunt voice. "She attacked me and we fell of a cliff.."

"Oh. That is unfortunate." The mare said without even blinking. No emotion whatsoever.

Without saying another word, the mare walked straight pass Dust, setting herself down in front of the spire. Dust was surprised as he saw that she didn't

have a cutie mark..

"Why don't you have any.." Dust began, but regreted he asked the moment his mouth opened.

"Cutie mark?" Aurora answered. "We don't need them."

"What 'we'?"

"The Void Seekers." She turned her head to look at Dust. "Our flanks are blank, because that is what we seek."

Dust stood confused at Auroras words.

"You call me Carrier.." He said. "Why? Does it have something to do with this..?" He brought the ring out from underneath his shirt.

"Indeed. The Jormundgand."

"The what..?" Dust replied.

"Jormundgand." Aurora answered him. "The serpent that encircles the world."

"You know what this thing is?" Dust asked her slowly. "Do you know where it comes from?"

"Of course I do." Aurora said back to him.

"Then tell me." Dust hurried to reply.

But Aurora didn't say anything else, she instead continued to stare at the spire, almost spellbound by it. Dust sighed quietly. He needed Luna now..

Something was obiously wrong here, and he didn't know if he could trust this Aurora. If he'd had his lover next to him, he might have felt more

sure as he lowered his sword and walked up to the mare. He stopped next to her, looking over the spire as well.

"Please, Aurora." He began. "Tell me what you know." He didn't feel comfortable begging like this, but he didn't know what else he could do.

"Tell me what you feel first." Aurora responded, to Dust's confusion. "Tell me what you feel for her. For Luna."

"How do you know about that..?" Dust said in a low voice.

"I feel it." Aurora answered. "As well as I can feel what you have done. Rarity was beautiful, was she not?"

"Don't talk about her." Dust said with a somewhat harder voice.

"Jormundgand tells me you killed her. And absorbed her magic."

"Please, stop it.." Dust said to her, as the orb of red light above their heads started to diminish in strenght.

"And what about that poor Twilight Sparkle, hmm? You broke her horn and took the life of her baby dragon.. You've been busy."

Dust finaly snapped in anger and shame.

"Shut up, just tell me everything you know about this thing, or I swear I'll kill you where you stand!"

He yelled down at the black mare, wanting to just bring his sword right through her chest, stop her from.. making him remember.

"But you still have not answered my question." Aurora said without flinching a bit at his yelling. "What do you feel for Luna?"

"And why do you care?" Dust spat back at her. "So you can tear up more painful memories?"

"I am merely curious." she answered calmly. "Tell me, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

For a while, Dust reamined silent, unsure what to do. He wanted to sit down, to rest his leg, but looking around in the room, he found nothing to sit down on.

He paced for a while, stroking his forehead in angst. And all the while, Aurora didn't say a word, didn't even look at him. Finaly, fed up with his own

worries and the mares silence, Dust sat down on the uneven dune of sand surrounding the spire.

He let himself fall backwards into the sand, and for a split second he wanted to sleep. He had been so busy that he'd forgotten just how tired he really

was. But falling asleep in a place like this.. Not a good idea. He broke the silence again, trying to keep himself awake.

Luckily, the sand was perfect for his broken wings, and they didn't hurt as he let them sink down.

"I.. I love her." He said quietly from his place in the sand. "Ever since the day she.. saved my life. From an accident she herself was part of, but still."

Aurora nodded slowly at his words, but didn't say anything. Dust continued.

"She means everything to me, everything. I want to make her happy, want to see her smile. And to tell the truth, at first I thought that I didn't care about

what would happen to me, but I see now that it's wrong to think that way. I thought I would die for her, gladly, as long as she would be allright.

But if I where to die, she would be all alone, devestated. I can't let myself die, because Luna would die with me, at least in her heart.. I want to spend

the rest of my life with her.. Want to wake up every morning next to her beautiful face, spend ever day in her company. Fall asleep next to her, feeling

her warmth against me. Tell her how much I love her every day.. and to just hold her close."

Dust felt his eyes water as he spoke. If only things had been different, they might have had a real relationship, not this..

"Sometimes, I've wished I was a pony instead of human." He said slowly." That way, perhaps her sister would have accepted me instead of trying to kill

me. Life would have been so different. Hell, we could have gotten children.. I've always wanted to have children. But that's impossible for me and Luna.."

"You're a brave man." Aurora answered after a few moments of silence. "Not many ponys dare to spill their hearts like this, letting out their innermost

feelings to a complete stranger."

"I don't really care.." Dust said back. "I'm going to die soon anyway, so what does it matter? So, did my answer satisfy you? Will you tell me

about this ring now?"

"You answered me truthfully." Aurora said back to him. "So yes, I will tell you everything I know."

"Tell me what this thing is, where it came from, why it was created." Dust replied.

"It is a long story." She began. "Are you familiar with the history of Equestria?"

"A bit." Dust answered. "I've read a lot about it."

"The you no doubt know about the blizzard that brought the races into war? Thousands of years before that, before ponies even roamed this land, another

race lived and thrived across the world."

"Who, the Alicorns?" Dust asked as she paused.

"No, not Alicorns." Aurora answered him. "Look at the spire next to you. I am sure you recognise the different symbols and writings."

"Yeah, it looks like symbols from my own world.." Dust began. "But how the hell can human signs be hidden here, in Equestria?"

"Because they where here first, a long, long time ago." Aurora said slowly.

Dust's eyes widened in shock at this, and the mare paused for a while to let her words sink in.

"They prospered in this world for thousands of years, evolving and advancing constantly through the ages. They invented strange contraptions that

breathed fire, and masive, flying spires that could completely obliterate anything it hit."

"Nuklear weapons. That's what they're called." Dust pointed out. "They built them in my world as well."

"But their society was not perfect." The mare continued, not paying attention to Dust's comment. "They where so focused on their weapons and fighting,

that no one saw the real problem."

"And they wiped themselves out." Dust filled in.

"Indeed. Mankinds powers could no longer be contained, and it was unleashed upon the world. All living beings, snuffed out in an instant."

"But, then.. wouldn't there by nuklear fallout? The world would have been drenched in radioactivity and nuclear ashes."

"Like I said, it was a long time ago." Aurora answered his question.

"Still, that doesn't explain this spire, or the ring.." Dust replied.

"This place was seen as a holy place." She said. "For it was here that the first Alicorn appeared, to humankinds surprise."

"You're telling me humans and ponies used to live together..?"

"That they did. And since that day the Alicorn appeared, every generation and civilastion made their way to this shrine, to honor this new race and

pledge their knowledge to the afterworld. But once the world started to crumble, the Alicorns noticed the spire had started to change, crack.

It was clear that the knowledge and power of all mankind was too much for simple stone, and it started to give way under the preasure. Mankind

was to busy with killing each other over the most simple things, that they did not care about this."

"This is a lot to take in.." Dust exhaled as Aurora paused again.

"So, the Alicorns created the Jormundgand in secret. Crafted from pure magic, completely indestructable. The perfect vessel for all that power. And

since nothing could harm it, a small group of Alicorns where selected to hide the ring far away, and guard it into death. And we did. And they all died

together with the humans as the world burned. All but me."

"But.." Dust began. "If the Alicorns were the only kind of ponies, how come there's carwings of all different speices on the ring?"

"That, I must admitt, I do not know." Aurora replied. "Perhaps somepony else found it later, perhaps they saw it as some sacred relic. Your quess is as

good as mine in this. The ring dissapeared from its hidden shrine, and since then we have been searching for it."

"We?" Dust asked the mare.

"The Void Seekers. I created this small group of ponies, and we have all devoted our lifes to finding Jormundgand. But instead, you have found it for us."

"So you're trying to find this.. Jormund.. gand? Then why did the unicorn mare try to kill me?" Dust asked her.

"Sadly, the other three members of us all went mad. As far as I know, they found the Jormundgand, but its powers where too strong, and it broke

their minds. With Equinox dead, there is only two more members besides me, unless their dead as well. I do not know what has become of them."

"I think I understand.." Dust said slowly. "Ever since I found this ring, I've been haunted by.. I don't know what to call them. Images, maybe.

Images of Luna, and after her death, Rarity as well.. Do you know why?"

"No, I do not know why this is." Aurora answered shortly. "Perhaps you'll come to understand it yourself in time."

Dust exhaled in frustration.. Maybe he would never understand, haunted until the day of his death.

Dust.. dus.. du.. d.. dust..

Dust sat up straight as an echo reached his ears. The sand around him flew up into the air as he hurried to his feet, his woolen robe completely

covered in sand. But he didn't care to brush it off. His wings emerged from the sand as he stood up, creating a trail of sand and feathers behind him

as he hurried over to the tunnel he came through.

There was no mistaking that echo. Lunas voice.

"Luna!" He called out into the darkness. "Can you hear me?!"

Another echo answered him, this time closer.

"I'm here, sweetie!" He called out.

Where.. ere.. ar.. you.. o..

"Head for the red light!" He answered the echo, and without thinking, he ran out into the tunnel.

Towards his loved one. He kept in calling her name as he ran as fast as he could, not paying any attention to the pain building up in his thigh yet again.

Luna was more important than pain. Finaly, a figure appeared out of the shadows in front of him, running straight for him. As he saw the dark blue

coat and shimmering mane, he reached out his arms, almost throwing himself over her, wrapping his arms around her and squeesing her tight.

They both panted from the running, and shared smiles, laughs, kisses and tears, all out of joy of finding each other again.

"I thought you were dead.." Luna whispered as they pressed themselves close to each other, crying.

"So did I.." Dust answered her. "I almost thought I'd never see you again."

"I would fly across all of Equestria again to be with you." Luna replied and gave him another kiss.

Then she broke the kiss and gasped silently. She had moved her foreleg unto her back, touching his broken wings.

"Honey, what.." She whispered slowly.

"I probably won't fly again, no." Dust answered in a low voice. "But don't worry about that, it's not important right now."

"But.." Luna began carefully." Can't you just.. pull them back in?"

"I've tried, but they don't respond.." He whispered. "I think they where damaged so badly that they lost their connection with the rest of me.."

They hugged a while more in silence. Luna cried quietly into his shoulder, not only because of joy, but also because of Dust's injuries. In pained her to see

him like this. After a few more moments, the broke the embrace, but sharing one last kiss as they tore apart.

"Come on, there's something you need to see." Dust whispered.

They walked back through the tunnel, and the injury in Dust's leg started to hurt again, and he had no choice but to limp sligthly, but Luna suported him

with one of her wings. Entering the room with the spire again, Lunas eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of it.

"What.. is that..?" She exhaled.

"It's.. a bit difficult for me to explain." Dust admitted. "But Aurora should be around here somewhere, she'll tell you."

"Who?" Luna asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Aurora, I met her here. She said she was the last Alicorn, and told me all about this ring, and.."

"Dust, you didn't hit your head when you fell, did you..?" Luna asked him slowly in a worried voice. "You're not making any sense.."

Dust hurried to search through the room, calling out for Aurora, but he couldn't find her. The room was completely empty, not a single trace of her.

He scanned the sand around the pillar for hoofprints, but could only find his own tracks.

"But, she was right here, I.." Dust began, a singe of fear coursing through him.

"Love.. There's no one here." Luna said to him. "I don't think anypony's been here for centuries.."

"No, she was here!" Dust cried out. "I'm sure of it, she was just as real as you!"

Luna walked up to Dust and pulled him close, comforting him.

"Calm down, Dust.. She's not here. You must've hit your head bad when you landed.."

"But if she wasn't real.. how do I know you're real? Maybe I'm just imagining you because I long for you so much?"

Dust felt panic build up inside him.

"What if you're not the real Luna, but just that strange.. thing!"

He tried to push Luna off of him, but she held on tight, refusing to let him go. She wrapped her wings around him as well, in an attempt to calm him down.

Quickly, she grabbed one of his hands and tried to press it against her chest, but he tore it away again and again. After a slight struggle though, Dust

calmed down as she managed to put his hand against her ribs.

"See?" Luna whispered. "Feel my heart beating? That thing doesn't have a heart, it doesnt have anything. I'm real."

As Dust calmed down by the sensation of her beating heart against his palm, and her soothing words, Luna gave him another kiss, hoping that would

convince him. After a moment, Dust answered the kiss, apologising for his outburst.

"Mayne we should get out of here..?" Luna sked cautiously after they broke the kiss.

Dust nodded quietly.

"But, um.. how, exactly?" He said in a low voice, giving a quick nod over his shoulder.

"I could probably carry you on my back.." Luna answered.

"Are you sure?" Dust began. "If you can't do it and fall down, we might get stuck down here.."

"I'm sure. "Luna replied. "And if we get stuck.. At least we'll die together."

"Don't say that, Luna, we're not going to die here. I promise you that we'll live togheter the rest of our lives."

"I love you so much, dear.. But, once we get out of here, where should we go..?" Luna asked.

For a few moments, Dust remained silent, looking inte her big eyes. Then he opened his mouth to speak.

"I think.. It's time we visit your sister."

Luna raised her eyebrows at his words, but didn't object.

"It's time to end this."

Wings of a Crow

"The moon is bright tonight. It's curious, the last time I saw something so bright was the last time I saw your eyes. Before I lost you. You have betrayed

me, yes, brought shame upon our familiy. But slowly, I've started to accept your choice. Even though I want to, it's impossible for me to control

your life, and I cannot decide where you find love. I'm sorry. If you just come back to me, I swear I'll forgive everything that you've done.

Please, sister. I don't know if you can hear me, but I miss you. The moon is bright tonight. Good night, dear Luna, I hope you'll come back to me soon."

Celestia lowered her head in sadness, a few tears falling from her eyes.

"We all miss her, princess." A voice behind her.

She slowly turned her head. A stallion, with brown coat and silver mane observed her from his place at the door. And for once, his monocle did not fall

to the ground when he spoke. Regelius. He walked up to the white princess, sitting himself down next to her. Celestia had always found this stallion

rather amusing. Not just because the simple fact that the monocle always fell from his eyes, but also because his strange name, and the fact that

his cutie mark depicted a monocle. Falling. An odd pony all together.

"I've always enjoyed this view.." Regelius said in a low voice. "Canterlot looks stunning in the moonlight. It's almost.. poetic."

Celestia simply nodded. She often pondered about Regelius and his cutie mark. Did he recieve it because he dropped his monocle all the time,

or does he drop the monocle because he thinks that's what he's supposed to do? That he's expected to do so. An odd pony.

"I've been here every night since Luna.. ran away." Celestia admitted. "I just want to see her again."

"I'm sure she'll be back again." Regelius responded. "Eventually. I think she just need some time alone."

"Alone with a human.." Celestia sighed, giving Regelius a sad look.

"Despicable, yes." Regelius answered. "But who are we to judge? If she truly loves him, wouldn't it be better to just.. let them be happy?"

"What are you saying, Reg?" Celestia frowned. "Do you, out of all ponies.. defend my sisters mistake?"

"Oh, no no no. I simply say that perhaps we shouldn't stand in the way of love. Don't you agree on this?"

"Of course I do." Celestia countered. "But.. this isn't love, it's impossible. Two so different species cannot fall in love, it's not genetically possible."

"I'm pretty sure that more than just genes play a role in love." Regelius answered.

And for a moment, Celestia saw something change in his eyes. Big, purple eyes, that completely clashed against his other colours. Maybe that was another

thing that made him odd and interesting. She nodded at his words. Of course he was right, but she didn't want to admitt it. Deep down, she was thrilled

that her sister had finaly found love, but at the same time, disgusted.

"I think love can blossom between anypony and everything." Regelius continued. "Different sorts of love of course, but still love. Love for a parent, a

sibling, a close friend, lovers. All share strong emotional bonds, in specific ways. So I personaly don't have any problems seeing your sister with this..

Dust? If they love each other, their feelings will always find a way."

Celestia finaly saw what had changed in his eyes. Looking into them as he spoke, she could clearly see.. longing. Loneliness. And she had always enjoyed

conversing with him, since he was a good talker, and one of the few who actually dared to speak his mind without fear of upsetting the princess.

"I'm surprised." Celesta stated. "When I told the council about this, you reacted the strongest to it. What's gotten you to change your mind like this, if you

don't mind me asking?"

"Indeed, initially, I was.. mortified. A disgrace to us all, that our princess would do something like this. For some time, I was thinking of leaving

the court, simply out of shame!" Finaly; the monocle popped down unto the floor in front of their hooves.

Celestia smiled, holding back a laugh as the stallion picked it up.

"But then, I slowly came to this realisation." Regelius continued. "If this is what my princess choose, then I will stand by that desicion."

"You're an honest and loyal stallion, Regelius." Celestia responded to his words.

"It's my job, my princess." Regelius concluded as he put the monocle back over his right eye.

They stood in silence for a while, watching the moon rise. Both of them lost in their own strain of thought.

"How.. how's Twilight Sparkle doing?" Regelius asked, breaking the silence.

"Still in bed." The princess answered in a sad voice. "The pain from her horn has almost dissapeared now, but she will have scars for the rest of her life.

She keeps asking for her baby dragon, over and over again. Yesterday night, she threw a fit, complete panic, claiming she needed to help him."

"Poor thing.. Spike, wasn't it?" Regelius asked in a low voice. "What happened to him, really?"

"I'm not sure.." Celestia admitted. "Twilight probably saw everything, but trying to get her to talk about it.. Maybe she never will."

"What of the.. uh.. body?" Regelius asked catiously, turning his head away from the princess. "Maybe a proper burial would help her?"

"I'm afraid it's impossible. I personaly got to see.. what was left. After the attack. Twilight was passed out on the floor of her library, almost completely

covered in blood. And.. She was holding..."

"Holding what?" Regelius asked.

"It's not really easy to talk about, it was rather.. Between her hooves, she held a few of the dragons scales. Holding it close, like she was cradling it.

When I saw it, I.. I literaly felt my heart fall."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.." Regelius began.

"It's quite allright, Regelius." Celestia answered him. "It only shows you care about others. A trait I'm afraid ponies are losing these days."

She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but smile back, despite the serious matter they'd just discussed.

"There.. was acutally another reason I changed my mind about Lunas actions.." Regelius admitted quietly as they once again turned to the moon.

"Do tell." Celestia begged him.

"As I was walking through town the other day, I came across a young couple sitting outside a small.. bistro, I guess it was. Now, I'm not the kind of

pony that goes around snooping into other ponies affairs, but as I walked past them I couldn't help but hear part of their conversation. As I understood,

the mare apparently had some sort of diseace, I didn't catch the name of it.. Anyway, she was sick, and asked her stallion to literarily leave her.

She said she was dying, and didn't want him to see her suffer until she finaly passed. The stallion, as I remember having blonde coat and black mane,

rejected her offers, claiming that he would stay with her until the end, that he would hold her in his arms as she left this world, no matter what.

That was all I heard, so I don't know how she reacted to it.. But it got me thinking, if they could let their love go on like that, even in the face of death,

then I'm pretty sure Luna and Dust will manage as well.."

"Perhaps you're right.." Celestia said with a sigh. "But it's getting late, we should both get some sleep, right?"

"Indeed, princess." Regelius answered her.

They both took of into the castle once again, walking side by side towards their respective chambers. As their paths parted, Celestia stopped him.

"One more thing, Reg.." She said quietly. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I think we should get some more guards into duty. And into high alert."

"You don't need to worry, my princess. You're perfectly safe within the castlewalls."

"I hope you're right.." Celestia replied. "Well, good night then, Regelius."

"Sleep well, Celestia."

Celestia nodded, wishing him the same, and they parted ways. But she was still worried, as Dust's visit to her bedchambers echoed in her mind. He'd said

he'd give her four days, before "the killing begins.", and she had no idea if he would go through with this threat..

But now, her four days had passed.

"You ready?"

Dust held his arms tight around her neck. She looked back at him as she asked, and he simply nodded in response. Getting into a good position had been

difficult, seeing as he didn't want to hurt her wings, or her back. Thankfully, doe to the fact that she was both bigger and taller than regular ponies,

at least Dust's legs didn't touch the ground. Even though she had a rather slim body, she seemed to be able to carry him with ease.

"We probably look ridiculous.." He said to her from his place on her back. "A human with broken wings, riding a unicorn with wings.."

"There's a first time for everything, right?" Luna answered with a laugh. "Now, just hold on tight, and uh.. try not to pull out anymore feathers."

She grinned at him, and bent her legs slightly. Her wings spread out, and Dust could feel their muscles move against his legs.

"And don't fall, dear!" She laughed, quickly flapping her wings and taking off into the air.

Dust almost lost his grip around her neck as she left ground, and paniced for a split second. But as he saw the small speck of light at the top och the cave

getting closer, he relaxed again. Soon, they would be out of this dark place, out in the sunlight.

"Lean forward!" Luna yelled at him through the wind.

He did as she told him, leaning forward and pressing his chest against her back and neck. For a few seconds, he felt her heartbeat, thumping in an almost

frantic pace. He pressed his face against her soft neck, closing his eyes and tried to relax. Then, they breached through the hole. It was narrow,

and both Lunas hooves and his wings touched the edges, sending dry sand up into the air around them.

As he opened his eyes again, a bright violet light met them. The sun was setting in the west, and bathed the desert in its last rays of sunlight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Luna said in a serene voice as she stopped in the air for a while.

Dust nodded. Then he remembered that the last time they flew across the skies, he had said the exact same thing to her. It seemed to him, their roles

had slightly changed for the moment.

"So, where are we going now?" Luna asked after a moment of silence.

"Fly back to the cave. I need to get my other sword and.. um.."

"And what?" Luna replied to his unfinished sentence.

"N.. Nothing.. I'll tell you once we get there, allright?"

She nodded in silence, and once again took off. The wind rushed across Dust's face, blowing off his hood and through his hair. Luna flew so fast,

Dust had to close his eyes to stop tears from building up in them. This was a strange feeling, flying on something else, instead of using his own

wings. Just like when his wings worked, it felt like freedom, but a different kind of freedom. Knowing that his lover carried him across the skies

made his heart beat faster, and a smile spread over his lips. As Luna dove down towards the river he came from, he once again rested his head against

her neck.

Pressed against her, he could almost envision himself in bed, laying next to her again. With his face in her mane as she snoosed soundly. He didn't open

his eyes again, he wanted to stay in his made up reality for as long as he could. He heard Luna call out to him, but he didn't care about what she said.

For the moment, he was in his own world, and took no notice of real life. It felt as if his life had finaly turned around, and his past had never happened.

Fading memories.

And then suddenly, everything stopped, and a strong jolt coursed through Lunas body. As Dust opened his eyes again, ice and rock filled his vision.

"We're back, dear. How are you feeling?"

"I, uh.." Dust mumbled into her neck. "Could I just.. five more minutes..?"

Luna giggled at his words.

"You're not in bed, you're on my back and I'm getting rather numb."

"Fine, I'll get up.." He whispered back, moving his body sligthly to the left.

That's when he realised his legs had almost been locked in place after sitting in this position for so long. Before he could react, he fell to the ground next

to Luna.

"Ow.." He grunted slowly.

Normaly, he would have probably felt some pain in his thighs, but since he was still partly lost in his own daydreaming, it didn't really register in his brain.

"Do you need help getting up?" Luna said to him with a smile.

"Yes, please.." Dust answered her, adding a quiet chuckle.

Luna smiled, and layed down on the ground next to him. They both laughed as he pushed himself up on her back. Luna stood back up, alowing

Dust to just lean off her back and stand on his own. As he let go of her however, he instantly wanted to grab hold of her again. To hold her, kiss her..

"I fell like I'm drunk.." He mumbled as he swayed on his feet.

"Well, maybe the flight.. was too much for you?" Luna said, her face turning somewhat worried.

"No, I loved it.." Dust said slowly. "I felt so free. When I leaned against your neck, it felt as if everything was normal again, and we where in bed, in our

home.."

"One day, we will have someplace to call our home, dear." Luna answered, carefully nuzzling his shoulder. "And then we'll spend all the time you want to

in bed."

Dust smiled at her words, wishing for that day to come soon. He gave her a quick kiss.

"Have I ever told you just how beautiful you are?" He whispered to her as they shared another kiss. "There's nopony else like you.."

Luna didn't answer, she just gave him another kiss, and before they could break it, she wrapped her wings around him, holding him close

as their kisses became more agitated. Maybe this wasn't the time to kiss, but none of them cared, they where simply too happy to have found each

other again.

"Dust, I love.." Luna said between their kisses.

"I know, I love you too, sweetie.."

A few seconds later, Luna sudenly broke the kiss. Dust looked at her with raised eyebrows, wondering if anything was wrong. She looked back at him

with big, glistening eyes. Then, she blushed, looked down into the ground beneath their feet.

"Please.." She whispered without looking at him. "Please.. I.. I want you, Dust. Need you."

"You allready have me, and always will." Dust answered with a smile, trying to get her to look at him.

But for some reason, she refused to look into his eyes, the blush on her cheeks getting brigther. Dust locked his arms around her neck, and he felt her

body shiver.

"Honey, is something wrong..?" He said, worried about the way she acted.

She remained silent. Dust tried to gently raise her head back up, look into her eyes, but she just janked herself free of his hand, continuing to stare at the

ground. It wasn't a violent move, more careful, and she clearly didn't want to look into his eyes, yet at the same time she had no desire to push him

away.

"Make.. make love to me. Please, Dust." She whispered slowly, closing her eyes hard as she did.

"Now?" Dust asked with raised eyebrows. "On this cold cliff, in the snow? Not very romantic.." He tried to laugh, but as she stayed quiet, his laugh died

down.

"Yes, right here." Luna answered, finaly looking into his eyes again.

"But, why?" Dust said back. "We could freeze in this cold.."

"I'll keep you warm." Luna replied, quickly kissing him again.

Dust was taken by surprise at how.. almost violently she kissed him. As if her life depended on it. He hardly had time to respond her kisses

before she carefully pressed her tounge against his lips. Slowly, Dust opened his mouth, meeting her tounge halfway with his own.

"I.. I thought I had lost you.." Luna managed to speak as their lips momentarily parted. "I thought you were dead, and I would never kiss your lips again.

That's why I need this now, I want to feel alive with you, my love. If we're really going up against my sister, we might both die.. I don't want to waste

one of our last nights together."

"You don't need to explain.." Dust whispered in response. "You know I'll do anything for you."

"Then, please.." Luna answered him, her voice starting to crack. "I don't care if it's not romantic or beautiful, rough and cold, I just need you. I want

to feel your love."

"You'll always have my love, Luna." Dust whispered as they slowly layed themselves down on the ground.

"Until the very end of days."

Regelius sighed as he looked out through one of his many windows. The moon was high up in the dark sky, spreading it's pale light across Canterlot,

as well as his room. His silver mane and tail gleamed in the dull light.

He'd always been an honest pony. Loyal to the princesses. To Celestia. They oftentimes discussed, sparred with words against each other. She was a

good opponent in this, since she always managed to outlast him. There where never any real winner, usualy ending in a draw. And then there were evenings

like this, when they really wanted to get results from their words, and not just training in speech.

Despite this, despite his loyalty, bluntness and way with words, he'd never managed to tell her his innermost thoughts. It would probably only cause

more problems for them, the princess might even throw him out of the court for having such thoughts.

Regelius Silver-tounge, his friends called him. A play at words for his skills in speech, as well as his mane.

And yet, his silver tounge would never dare to utter his feelings.

He'd been in the court for around twenty years now, and he stood by his princess whatever happened. When Nightmare Moon had returned, never did

he falter. As Discord caused havok across the land, he stood his ground. Always by Celestias side. When they lost their sister, Cadence.. He was a loyal

pony, simple as that. Never betraying his duty to the crown.

Maybe Celestia allready suspected or even knew about his feelings, but until he could speak of them to her himself, she would never be sure of it.

Or perhaps she just thought it was silly. A middle aged earth pony, constantly dropping his monocle, with feelings for the princess herself. He would

never know.

Strange, seeing how openly he could speak his mind about Luna and Dust earlier, but still was too much of a coward to let Celestia know.

The stallion felt something sting in his chest again.

"No, I wont do it."

"You have to, Luna. It's the only way to fix this."

Dust was standing outside the cliff, with his back against Luna. The snow beneath them had been disturbed, leaving tracks of their lovemaking earlier

in the night. The sun allready stood high in the sky, and it was warming Dust's bare chest and arms as he waited. Luna were standing behind him,

holding one of his swords with his magic, tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you.." She whispered as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Don't worry, dear." Dust responed. "It's alright, I'll be fine. Just try to hit close to inner joints.."

"But.. They're a part of you.." Luna said as her voice failed her. "I don't want to take away a part of you.."

Dust spun around to look at her. The sword was hovering in the air next to her, gleaming in a dull blue light. Her eyes had watered up, ans she looked

as if he had just asked her to kill him. He walked up to her and embraced her tenderly.

"They're allready dead, Luna." He whispered to her. "I can't go around with a pair of dead wings.. I need your help with it, and I won't love you any

less because of it."

The sword made a loud clanking sound as it hit the cliff beneath their feet, as Luna let her magic fade and she cried into Dust's shoulder. He held her close,

stroking her mane slowly to comfort her.

"Last night was amazing.." Dust continued. "I've never seen you so.. passionate. And we're gonna have more nights like that one, right?"

Even though Luna shivered from her sobbing, he could still feel her nodding slowly.

"Then we have to do this. They need to be removed." Dust concluded.

After a while Luna calmed down, and her crying stopped as she just leaned against Dust, feeling the warmth from her lover. They broke the embrace, giving

each other a quick kiss, and Dust once again turned his back to her.

"Just do it, sweetie." He said to her. "I trust you, I know you can. Don't think, just do it."

Slowly, Luna charged up her horn again, grabing the sword with her magic. She raised it into the air, trying to focus. She closed her eyes before she struck.

"I'm sorry.."

Then she brought the sword down on his wings.

For a split second, nothing could be heard. Then a slashing sound broke the silence as the blade cut its way through flesh, muscle and bone.

Screams in agony as the wings dropped down behind Dust, and he stumbled to his knees in pain. Blood flooded from where his wings had been severed,

coloring his back in crimson red. It driped unto his pants, and began pooling up on the cliff beneath his knees.

Luna threw the sword away, running to Dust's side as he fell. Not seeing anything around her she could use, all she could do to stop the bleeding was

to press her hooves against his wounds. She tried to call out to Dust, but he didn't answer. Then, he fell forward into the snow. The wounds started

bleeding again as the preasure on them disapeared. Gasping in fear, Luna ran around him, grabbed his shoulders and managed to push him back up.

His eyes were closed, and he looked to be sleeping. As she tried letting him go slowly, he once again fell forward, but since she was in the way, Dust

landed on her instead. Luna sat down in front of his lifeless body, holding her legs around him to warm him and to put preasure against the wounds at

the same time.

Luna cried her eyes out, knowing she might have just killed Dust.

She cried out the name of her loved one over and over, but he didn't wake up.

Her cries could probably be heard for miles.

Confessions

"So, tell me. How do you feel about all of this, Polka-dot?"

The red pegasus looked at Regelius with an annoyed face.

"Why do you have to call me that every bucking time I see you?" The pegasus asked. "It was funny the first time, about ten years ago.."

The sun was rising slowly outside as the red pegasus known as No-Hope observed Regelius from his seat by the open fireplace. There was no need for a

fire, and the only light came from the sunrise. Regelius was standing by the window and watching the sun, as he did every morning.

"Because your red coat and white mane remind me of polka dots." Regelius answered him truthfully with a chuckle. "Besides, your real name isn't the

most flattering anyway."

"I can agree with that." No-Hope replied. "But still Regelius, you're an ass."

"At least mine isn't blank."

No-Hope went silent. Regelius won this battle, as usual. His name really did fit him perfectly. No cutie mark, untalented, ugly. A complete shame.

"She did a good job this morning, as always." Regelius sighed as he turned away from the rising sun.

He walked through the room, over to an old oak cabinet. The top part of it was covered by a couple of glass doors, each engraved with a different cutie

mark. On the left door: A black rose. On the right door: a red rose. When Regelius was a young colt, most ponies had always joked around about

his parents cutie marks, calling it odd that they both had a rose. But they themselves said it made perfect sense, since their marks were just a testament

to the fact that they were made for each other. Whenever little Reg asked his parents about how they got their marks, the answer was always the same.

That they got them the day they met.

And he had always loved listening to their storys of their earlier lifes, and how they met. He frowned as he opened the cabinet doors, revealing the several

different flasks, bottles and glasses inside of it.

"Want a glass of cider?" He asked No-Hope without turning around as he grabbed a bottle from the shelf.

"You know I don't drink." No-Hope answered quickly.

"No, but I'm gonna keep on asking until you come to your senses and drink like a real stallion." Reg replied. They both cuckled a bit at his words.

He poured a glass for himself, the amber fluid filling it almost to the brim. He closed the cabinet once again, glancing at the cutie marks one last time.

This cabinet was all he had left of his parents. The only thing they left him when they passed several years ago. And once he himself died, he would pass

it on. If he got any foals, that is. Otherwise, he'd probably give it to his closest friend, the red pegasus behind him.

Oftentimes, Regelius missed his parents. He wanted to see them again, to just talk to them, tell them about his life. But they where long gone now.

And he didn't even remember their faces anymore. He took a sip of the sweet cider, feeling a calming sensation course through him as he swallowed it

down.

"Anyway, I think I should tell you why I asked you to come here.." Regelius said, clearing his throat.

"I'm guessing it's because you want an excuse to drink." No-Hope said with a smile.

"I have something to confess." Regelius said after a few moments of silence. "For a long time, I've had.. feelings.. for a certain pony."

"If it's me you're talking about, I'd rather sleep with the statue of Discord." No-Hope answered Regelius confession jokingly.

"Come on, this is serious." Regelius said back to him in a cold voice. "I need your support in this."

"Allright, tell me. It's Celestia, right?" No-Hope responded quickly.

"How did you.." Regelius began.

"We've been friends for ten years now, Reg, I know you."

Regelius sat himself down in a chair in front of No-Hope, looking at him with a somewhat sad face.

"So.. I'm thinking it's time to tell her. What do you think?" He asked before taking another sip from the glass.

"I say go for it." No-Hope answered with a smile. "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"Oh, I can think of a lot of things.." Regelius said, answering the pegasus smile with a sad smile of his own.

"Still, I think you should tell her. Unless she's allready figured it out that is. I mean, look at me, I never told Twilight.." No-Hope added.

The pegasus had always felt himself drawn to the violet unicorn, and during the time they spent together in court, he grew even more fond of her.

But he never dared to admit it to her, and then she dissapeared off to Ponyville. Just another failure adding to his name.

"Speaking of Twilight, have you been to see her yet?" Regelius asked. "I'm sure she would apprectiate seeing you again after all this time.."

No-Hope frowned at Regelius words.

"I want to, but.." he began. "I'm scared. Scared of what she'll look like, of what have become of her.."

"I don't blame you." Regelius answered him. "It's horrible seeing her with nothing but a broken stump of her horn left.."

"Don't remind me." The pegasus said, turning his head away from Regelius, and instead looked at the fireplace.

"Sorry." Regelius responded in an apologetic tone. "Tell you what, how about we both make our choice right here, right now?"

"What do you mean?" No-Hope asked without looking at him.

"Let's make our choice. I'll tell the princess about my feelings, and you give Twilight your support. Like you said, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

"But what if Twilight doesn't want to see me? Or if she doesn't even recognise me?"

"Hope, listen.. it doesn't matter. As long as you show her that you will be by her side, I'm sure she'll come around. She really needs somepony right now,

and maybe you could get the chance to correct your earlier mistake of not telling her what you felt."

"But what if she just laughs in my face? Turns me down?"

"She won't, as long as you stay truthfull." Regelius answered the pegasus with a smile, swallowing down the last of his cider.

No-Hope remained quiet for a while, until he eventually got up from his seat, nodded to Regelius without saying a word, then went for the door.

"You can do it, Hope." Regelius said as the pegasus opened the door.

As the pegasus closed the door behind him, Regelius got up and trotted over to the cabinet again. As he reached out to open it, he looked at the cutie

marks on the glass with a guilty face.

"I'm sorry, mom and dad." He said quietly as he opened the cabinet. "But if I'm going to tell Celestia.. I need another drink. Or two."

"Princess!"

A voice reached Celestias ears as she closed the doors to her bedchambers. As she turned around, she was surprised to see No-Hope rushing towards her.

He flew across the corridor towards her, a few feet off the floor, his wings flapping like crazy. He opened his mouth again to speak as he approached her,

but he lost control of his wings for a split second and slammed hard into the wall to his right instead. Celestia hurried to help him back on his hooves.

"I'm sorry, princess.. No hope, you know?"

"Don't let that name of yours wear you down, dear." Celestia answered with a reasuring voice. "Now, was there something you wished to ask me?"

"Oh yes!" No-Hope exhaled as he finaly got up from the floor. "I.. I just wanted to ask if I could see Twilight.."

He was expecting the princess to either say no or question why, but a big smile spread across his face as she nodded at his question.

"Of course, just don't mention Spike.. and don't tell her about Luna and Dust.." Celestia whispered the last sentence as she leaned close to his ears.

"Don't worry, I just want to talk to her again.." No-Hope said with a somewhat shy voice. "It's been so long.."

Celestia nodded again, pointing a hoof towards the doors she just closed. No-Hope didn't answer her, only walked right past her to the doors. The princess

smiled as the young pegasus passed her. At least he tried to make things right, despite being such a failure. One should admire a pony for doing something

like that.

"Oh, Cele-princess!" She heard No-Hope call out her name as she started trotting down the hall.

She turned around once again, and saw the red pegasus peeking his head out through the door.

"Could you.. Could you go and talk to Reg? I think he's looking for you."

"I will, Hope." Celestia said with another nod. "Thanks for telling me. Now, get back to Twilight."

No-Hope smiled at her words and closed the door, and Celestia made her way through the castle towards Regelius chambers.

A lot of ponies in the castle had questioned her decision to let No-Hope into the court, for obvious reasons. Everypony knew about his failures

and mistakes, and the fact that he, despite being around 25 years old, still had not received his cutie mark. True, for a while, Celestia herself pondered if it

had really been such a good decision.

But as the time went on, No-Hope had still proven his usefulness. Even though he failed at basicly everything he attemped and was young and naive,

he still had a remarkable skill for tactics and remembering information. Perhaps, with a few years training and growing, he could lead the royal guards.

And maybe finaly earn his cutie mark as well. It was a good thing he'd become such good friends with Regelius. Old Silver-tounge could probably

learn the pegasus a lot about patience.

Of course Celestia knew about No-Hopes hidden feelings towards Twilight. Such a thing is easy to spot, if you know where to look for it. And he wasn't

too great at hiding them either.

As the princess approached the door to Regelius chamber, she cleared her throat and knocked on the door. A voice on the other side groaned and told her

to enter.

"Regelius?" She said as she slowly entered the room. "Hope told me you wanted a word with me?"

She found Regelius slouched down in a chair by the fireplace. He looked deeply troubled, his head resting against his chest, a frown on his face and an

half-empty glass of cider by his side.

"Is something troubling you?" Celestia asked as she sat herself down in a chair in front of him.

"No, not really." The stallion answered quickly, seemingly uninterested in the princess words.

"Is there anything you need?" Celestia tried again.

"A hug would be nice.." Regelius mumbled, adding a few more words that Celestia couldn't make out.

"Reg. You're drunk." She replied.

"Only a little." Regelius answered, and waved a hoof at her, hitting the glass with cider as he did. "I can still think, I think.. And my silver tounge feels like

it's turned into gold instead."

"And what does that mean, Reg?" Celestia said with a smile.

"That I can speak my mind freely, Celestia." The drunken stallion responded. "And speak freely I will. Out of my mind, that is.."

Regelius moved himself out of the chair, staggering to his hooves and blinking his eyes a bit too much as he tried to focus. Celestia observed him in silence

as he went through the room, stopping by one of the windows close to his bed.

"You really enjoy the view, don't you?" Celestia asked as she walked over to him.

Regelius nodded slowly.

"You know, I watch the sunrise from here every morning.." The stallion mumbled. "It's a good way to start the day. Almost as good as waking up to a loved

one."

"Yes, the sun is at its most beautiful in the mornings." Celestia replied. "I'm sure a lot of ponies share this opinion."

Regelius nodded again, and then instantly put a hoof to his forehead.

"I think you've had enough." Celestia said to him with a smile.

Regelius didn't answer her, but she could see a smal smile spread across his lips. After a few moments, he removed his hoof from his face, and opened

his mouth to speak. But then he closed it again.

"Reg, something is troubling you, anypony could see that."

"I have feelings for you, princess." Regelius interupted her mid-sentence." I'm sorry."

Celestia looked at him with raised eyebrows. The stallion stared blankly out through the window, but his eyes twitched, looking at her, then quickly turning

back.

"At least, now you know." Regelius whispered.

"I.. I don't know what to say." Celestia responded, taken back by his sudden confession.

"I rendered the princess speechless. Good on you, Reg." The stallion said, adding a quiet chuckle. "I'm sorry, forget I said anything."

"No need to apologise, Reg." Celestia said back to him with another smile. "Truthfully, I have suspected this for quite some time."

"Hope said the same thing.. Is it that obvious..?" Regelius asked her in a low voice.

"He's your best friend, Reg. Of course he would notice something like this."

Regelius didn't answer. His eyes had focused on something outside the window, and the drunken blurryness covering his vision seemed to have vanished.

He blinked his eyes a few times, as if to make sure that he was seeing what he thought. Then he looked at Celestia.

"Do you see that..?" He began, giving the princess a sign to move closer. "Up there, in the clouds.."

He moved to the side, and Celestia took his place. At first, she didn't see anything except the towers and spires of the castle, but as she looked closer she

could see.. something, a figure, far up in the clouds. A figure that seemed to have wings, and it was getting closer.

"What is it, princess?" Regelius asked her.

"I'm not sure. Come on, we need to get closer."

Without waiting for the stallion, Celestia hurried across the room and out unto the balcony. From here, she could see clearer, and as the figure came closer..

"Reg.." Celestia said in a cold voice. "You should get back inside.."

Her face had taken on a worried expression, and her eyes narrowed. As Regelius opened his mouth to ask her why, he was quickly quieted by the princess

masive wings spreading out, one of them hitting him acros the face. Without another word, Celestia pushed herself from the floor, taking to the skies

towards the figure in the sky.

When the figure came closer, and Regelius could see as well what it was, his eyebrows raised, his jaw dropped. And his monocle fell to the floor.

No-Hope carefully closed the door behind him. It was dark in Celestias bedchambers as the curtains had been pulled over the windows, and the only light

came from a small candle flickering on a table next to the bed. In the warm light of the candle, the pegasus clearly saw the shape of a pony, seemingly

asleep under the bedsheets, with its back turned to him.

He walked up to the bed as quietly as he could, so that he wouldn't disturb the poor mare. And he still wasn't sure if he wanted to see her. See her.. broken.

"Twilight..?" He whispered as he came closer. "It's.. It's me, Hope.."

She didn't answer. Slowly, No-Hope moved closer, walking around the bed. As he came round the side, he saw her face. Those big, purple eyes, staring at

him. An unkept, rugged mane, and in her forehead.. nothing. Just a jagged stump.

"What do you want?" Twilight whispered.

No-Hope felt something inside him strain as he heard her voice. It wasn't the voice he remembered, not the happy, silky voice he grew to love. It was a

rough, horrible voice. The sound of somepony whos spirit has been shattered.

"Do you remember me..?" No-Hope asked as he sat down on the floor next to the bed.

"Of course." Twilight whispered back to him.

A cracked shard in the mirror of hope. A distorted image of sanity.

"I-uh.. came to see you. I was worried, so I thought I might.. you know." No-Hope stuttered out his words as he watched her sad eyes.

"Oh. Worried." Twilight said without changing her face. "Why do you care?"

"Well, because I.. I do. I care. And I just.. wanted you to know that. That I care, I mean."

"Great. You care. Thanks for letting me know."

Twilight rolled around to her right, turning her back against the pegasus. After a few more moments of silence, he sighed. Slowly he got up from his seat.

This wasn't the kind of meeting he'd been hoping for. He had been expecting maybe mockery or something, not.. this. Complete rejection, bitterness,

resentment. Yet still so indifferent to it all. He felt his heart sink, and so did his hope.

"I'll leave you alone then.." He said as he started walking towards the door. "I'm sorry if I bothered you.."

But as he raised his hoof to push open the door, he heard a noice. A weak, quiet whimper. And for some reason, it made his heart sink even further down.

He remembered something he'd read in a book once, in the library.. "This is how the world will end: not with a bang, but with a whimper."

He didn't remember who had said it or in what book he'd seen it, but right now, those words filled his entire world.

That's how Twilight will end, with a whimper.

He turned around and looked back at the bed again. He couldn't see her faces since she had it under the blankets, but he clearly saw her body shiver slightly.

"Go ahead, leave me.." He heard Twilights voice from under the blankets, thick with tears.

"Nono, Twi, no, don't cry.." No-Hope stuttered as he quickly made his way back to her. "Do you want me to stay..?"

Twilight nodded quickly.

"Okay then, I'll stay." The pegasus said, sitting himself down next to her on the bed. "It's just so.. strange, you know. Seeing you for the first time after

three years.. I'll never forget the day you left for Ponyville. Seeing my best friend disapear like that.. I wanted to fly after you, but Celestia stopped me,

said they needed me here. So I stayed, saw you leave.. I'll never forget it."

"I was afraid of leaving. I'll admit that." Twilight answered him after a few moments of silence. "In truth, I didn't want to leave my best friend either."

"You could have just said no." No-Hope answered bluntly.

"No." Twilight mumbled from under the blankets.

"Not to me, to Celes.. Oh. Sorry."

"But I made new friends." Twilight continued. "And I.. forgot about you."

"I never forgot you." The pegasus answered in a low voice. "Every day, I hoped to see you again. But you never came. And that tore me apart, Twi, it really

did. And it wasn't until almost a year later that I understood why."

"Please, don't say something like 'I love you', because even if you did, I don't care." Twilight muttered.

No-Hope felt his heart sink again. All the way down to the bottom.

"Haha, of course not.. Why would I say something like that?" He said, doing his best to fake a laughter.

"Love is overrated." Twillight replied. "And anypony that belives in it is a fool."

No-Hope did his best to hold back his tears. Luckily, Twilight still had her back against him and couldn't see it. But part of him wished she would turn

around and see, understand.. And just mock him for it, instead.

"You know what happened to me." Twilight continued. "I got friends, and I loved them all. And love got my horn broken and Spike.. That man, he told me

he'd.. killed Rarity. Somepony I loved. And he killed her, and was going to kill me. He said that then nothing would stand in his way of getting to Celestia

as well.."

"What he did wasn't your fault.. He chose to do those things himself." No-Hope countered back.

"Yes, it was my fault. If I had never left, I would have never met Rarity and the others. And then I would still be a unicorn and Spike would be here with me."

"You still have me.." No-Hope muttered, quickly adding "But you can't blame yourself Twi, how could you know this would happen?"

"I should have known!" Twilight suddenly spat out, angered. In an instant she threw the blankets of her and spun around, stared into No-Hopes teary eyes.

"It's all my fault! I got Spike killed and, and.. and.. why are you crying, Hope?"

The pegasus wanted to tell her right away. Wanted to reveal how he felt. But he lied instead, affraid that his confession would just cause more trouble.

"Because.. 'cus.. Your horn!" He finaly managed to get out. "And everything else. I wish there was something I could do for you."

"There's nothing you can do." Twilight said with a calmer voice, laying down in bed again. "Unless you can turn back time or kill that man, you're pretty

useless.."

No-Hope wiped his tears and sighed.

Useless.

Awakening

There comes a time in every mans life when he loses all hope. A time when the thin vail of mortality is raised, giving way to the embrace of the afterlife.

Everything that felt important before is now forgotten, and the mind is clouded by thoughts the mind has never had earlier. For Dust, this time had now

come. As he felt himself float through the air, his entire life felt like a distant memory. It was dark and cold around him, and slowly he floated towards

a bright light.

As he looked around, he could se faces. Familiar faces, loved ones. First, Anton. As Dust saw him, he wanted to reach out to him, hold his brother

after having missed him for so long, to make sure that he was real. But he couldn't feel his body, and he kept on floating, passing Antons face and

approaching another. This one was his father, joined by his mother to the right. They smiled warmly at him as he passed them. If Dust could have felt his

heart, he would have felt it skip a beat, softening from seeing his parents.

Another face. A round head with perfect, big eyes, pointy ears and that cute little nose he loved.. A white face, framed in purple hair. Rarity smiled as he

floated past her face.

No more faces appeared before him, and he instead observed the bright light on front of him as he came closer. Dust had no idea what it was, but he kne

he needed to pass through it. Everything would be allright if he did. It would end his worries for himself and Luna, end his quilt over Rarity, end his

responsibilty with the Jormundgand. Peace. Tranquility. Finaly, he could see what was in the light. Another face, one he had longed for so much.

Those perfect lines forming the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. The lips he'd kissed so many times, but yet not enough. And the eyes, cyan in colour.

A dark blue mane that seemed to move on its own, independent from the rest of the face. Countless times had he burried his face in that mane, drawing

in its smell and feeling all warm inside from the touch of it. It didn't feel like real hair, but more like some sort of silk or satin, and he loved to lose himself

in it, loved to fall asleep next to his beloved Luna. But as Dust came closer, something in Lunas face changed. Her eyes widened, and her mouth started

trembling. Somethin shiny welled up around her lower eyelids as she look at him through the light.

Whatever had carried Dust here now stopped, merely a few inches away from the light. He saw Luna reach her hooves forward, and they dissapeard

around the edges of the darkness around him. She seemed to be shaking something, and at the same time her mouth moved, but no sounds came from it.

Tears fell from her eyes as her movements became frantic, her mouth moved faster and more violent, as if she yelled at the top of her lungs. She moved her

hooves upwards, then brought then down hard. She seemed to be hitting something or someone in a fit of panic.

Still paniced, she fired up her horn, sending a ray of blue light down towards Dust. Surpisingly, the magic glow carried through the light, and touched Dust.

As it did, he felt something change within him. Sudenly, he could feel again, and what he felt was pain. Sharp pain in his back, in his right thigh and now a

aching in his chest. Dust drew in a breath, and in an instant, he was tossed forward, out of the darkness and into the light. Into the warm embrace of his

loved one, quite literaly.

Lunas magic must have pulled him out, as he woke up and flew upwards straight at her face, slamming into her body hard and wrapped his arms around her.

For a split second, she tensed up from the sudden shock, but then relaxed once again, let her body sink down as she kept on crying. Dust felt her entire

weight rest against his body as she lowered herself unto him, and still crying she pressed her face against his cheek, slowly moving her head back and forth,

causing their tears to mix together.

None of them said anything for a long time, and no sounds could be heard except Lunas crying that slowly changed into a quiet sobbing. It really wasn't

the most flattering position they've found themselves in, but none of them cared about that. It took Dust some time to recognise his surroundings, but once

he did, his heart stopped.

The first thing he saw, was the ceiling. He would never forget it, and the small crack going half-way across it. He'd seen a lot of that ceiling the first night

with Luna. That's how he realised that they where back in the castle, in her chambers.. He was laying on his back in her bed with Luna resting on top of him.

She must have stood above him as she tried to wake him up, punching his chest in panic. Not really a position fit for a princess. Then again, it wouldn't

be the first time they where in a compromising position in this bed..

"Promise me, Dust.." Luna spoke up as her sobbing calmed. "Never do something like this again.. I can't take it one more time."

Dust squeesed her closer as a response, carefully stroking her mane as he did. He could feel her beating heart against his chest and as he held her tight,

its beating calmed down further. He really wanted to promise her that, but.. Such a promise would be broken some way or another,

there was no stopping that. Unless..

"What happened?" Dust whispered into her ear, his throat soar. "Why are we back at the castle..?"

Luna raised her head to look him in the eyes. Up until then, her head had rested against his shoulder, leaned on the side against Dust's cheek. Her fur had

been so soft against his face, and he felt a bit empty as that softness was removed.

"You.." She began, but her voice failed her. ".. you were dying.. I didn't know what to do. I panicked, and brought you here.. Thinking that my sister could

help you. And she.."

Luna went silent, and did something Dust had never ever seen her do. She bit her lower lip. It wasn't a really strange or unusal thing to do, but she'd never

done it before. Dust could understand her bodylanguage perfectly, but this was new. As she bit down, she aslo turned her eyes away from him, as if she

was ashamed. Dust looked at her with raised eyebrows, as if asking her what was wrong.

She didn't say anything else, instead she just let her head return to its original position on his left shoulder. Luna sighed deeply as she gave him a quick

kiss on the cheek.

Her warm breath coated his face, and a shiver went through his body.

"Luna? What did she do?" He asked her as the shiver faded.

".. Nothing." She answered him hesitantly. "Nothing, just.. nothing."

"You don't sound like you believe yourself." Dust replied. "Did.. did she hurt you?"

As Dust's question leaved his lips, Luna reacted in a strange manner. A jolt went through her body, and she stiffened in his arms. And then she slowly got

out from his grip, sliding off him to the side. One of her forelegs still layed over his chest, and as Luna withdrew it, she stroked his chin, almost unoticable.

She turned around in bed, her back against him. Not uttering a single word. Clearly, this question had troubled her.

Dust wanted to move around on his side, wanted to press himself against her back and pull her into another embrace, comfort her with his warmth.

Wanted to let her know that whatever had happened, she still had him. He was alive thanks to her quick actions, and hopefully would be alive for quite

some time. That is, if Celestia wasn't getting his excecution ready at the moment..

But he couldn't move due to the pain that once again made itself known.

About the only part of him that didn't hurt was his left arm, and left happened to be the side Luna had moved to. Slowly, he raised his arm towards her.

Since she was so close, he couldn't reach out and twist his hand around in the process, so instead he just let the back of his palm stroke against the side

of her body, and he could almost make out her ribs through her silky coat.

"Sweetie?" Dust whispered. "Tell me, did she hurt you..?"

Luna still didn't answer him.

"Please, talk to me. You've saved my life twice now.. That's got to be proof we belong together, right?" Slowly, Dust stroked her wing. "If we're going

to spend our lifes together, you can't shut me out like this. I would never keep secrets from you.."

The last thing he said was a lie though. He did keep secrets from her. Maybe he would never be able to tell her.. He was a coward, and a weakling.

Even though he was the man, supposed to protect his mare from danger, and despite the fact that he possesed strong magic, it was he that needed to be

protected, he that needed to be saved.. Luna probably saw him as a pathetic fuck who was too weak to do anything. Too weak to rule.

A lying, weak, no-good killer. Not the hero that always does right and saves the girl. A monster, a joker, just like.. just like Celestia.

"Luna, if.. if you do love me, please tell me." Dust said hesitantly, dreading the possibility of not getting an answer from her, and what that would mean.

"Of course I love you." Luna answered quickly, in an almost annoyed voice. "It's just.."

"Did she hurt you?" Dust repeated his question, putting a bit more force behind his words.

Luna drew a deep breath and sighed, then slowly turned around to face him. Her eyes where red from her crying earlier, and a few tears still escaped her

eyelids, dripping down her eyelashes. She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again, and then carefully moved herself closer to Dust, and put

her hoof in his hand. Dust clenched his fingers around it.

".. She.. she won't do it again." Luna said, her voice trembling.

"Tell me what happened, sweetie." Dust answered her, tightening his grip on her hoof.

For a while, Luna was silent. Dust wanted to hold her so badly.. He could clearly see she wasn't well. Quietly, Luna layed her head down on the empty

pillow next to the one underneath Dust's head, and closed her eyes.

".. Celestia tried to kill me." She finaly said, breaking the silence that had grown between them. "When I came flying with you on my back, she launched

herself at me, tried to make me drop you.. She kept on yelling that I was a traitor to our race, and demanded to know how I dared to show myself here

again. But I did my best to avoid her attacks and words, and managed to land on a balcony. I might have.. landed on a stallion by mistake."

Luna paused to take in a few more breaths before she continued.

"Then Tia landed as well, still screaming at me, said she should chop off both of our heads as a punishment, and that she.." A few tears welled up in her

eyes. "She.. she said she would start with you, and make me watch."

"So.. How come we're still alive?" Dust asked bluntly. "And why are we here, and not.. shackled in the dungeon?"

"The stallion." Luna replied. "Regelius. He's been a member of the court for many years, but I don't know him that well.. Somehow, he managed to calm

my sister down. But not without a heated argument. He begged Tia to have mercy, begged her to try and, as he called it, look beyond the borders.

Eventually, she gave in to his words, but still wanted to imprison us. Regelius opposed her tough, and managed to get her agreement to let us stay in

here, as long as you don't leave.."

"And.. Celestia healed me..?" Dust whispered back.

"No, she hasn't even spoken to me since we came here. It was Regelius, he got a unicorn in court to help. That was a few hours ago, then you got some..

seisure."

Dust remembered his strange vision with faces and bright light. That must have been what Luna was talking about. Had it all been in his head?

"You've saved my life so many times, Luna.." Dust said back to her as he carefully moved his left hand over her foreleg. "You're such an amazing mare..

Even under threat of death you stood by me. Your so strong, and I just keep on asking for your help.. I'm not worthy of you.."

"There's no need for you to be worthy, dear." She whispered in response. "I love you because of who you are, it has nothing to do with worthyness or

strenght."

If he only could move, just a little bit, enough to hold her or kiss her.. Weak.

"I don't care what my sister does to me. I would stand by your side until the end, no matter what happens."

Luna moved her head and foreleg, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. As she removed her lips, Dust carefully flipped his hand around, in order to stroke

her soft cheek in response. She closed her eyes at his touch.

"You're not just amazing and strong, you're probably a bit mad as well." Dust said, giving her a smile as he did.

"Maybe love and madness are one and the same."

"In that case, we're both fucking crazy."

And finaly, Luna smiled again, and a small giggle escaped her lips as she did.

Embrace of Sorrow

A week had passed since Dust woke up, and now, he could finaly walk on his own. He felt like a kid that was standing on its feet for the first time in its life,

and paced around the room as much as he could, bragging about his skills to Luna. She grinned at him, laughing at his childish behavior.

"Why don't you try this, sweetie?" Dust said as he finally sat himself down in a chair close to the bed.

"Walking upright on my hindlegs?" Luna said with a smile. "Sorry, ponies aren't built that way."

Dust chuckled at her answer, stroking his beard at the same time. He really needed to shave.

"Oh, come on." He said back to her as his smile grew. "I'll help you, you can keep your forelegs on my shoulders, and if you fall, I'll catch you."

Luna shook her head and smiled back at him.

"Please." Dust said. "I'll give you a kiss if you do it."

A shy laugh escaped Lunas lips as she got up from her place in the bed. "Fine, I'll give it a try. But only because you said please."

"Yeah, sure." Dust chuckled as he got up to meet her.

He glanced quickly at the guards at the door, but they didn't seem to bother as he gave her a quick kiss, as promised. When the kiss broke, Luna looked

at him with wondering eyes and a small smile on her lips.

"So.. How do we begin?" She asked.

"Get up on your hindlegs." Dust answered, reaching his hands towards her, in case she needed something to grab on to.

Luna hesitantly reared up, and Dust was taken back a split second at how much taller she became. When standing on all four hooves, she was about the

same height as he, compared to the other ponies that barely reached up to his chest. Now, she towered over him by probably two lengths of his own head.

For a moment, Dust felt small, like a bug cowering beneath a descending shoe. Then Luna raised her forelegs, and laid them in his hands. He clenched

his fingers around her hooves, and they shared another smile.

Luna looked down on herself, not being used to having her body in such a position. "Not very lady-like.." She said quietly. ".. or elegant." She added.

"You're always elegant, dear." Dust said, doing his best to reassure her. "At least in my eyes-whoa, easy!"

Dust lost his balance as Luna tried taking a few steps forward without warning him, and since he tumbled backwards, Luna fell with him. They staggered back,

still holding each other. They could probably have been taken for a couple lost in a drunken dance, the way they swayed around. But eventually, they managed

to stop.

"You're that eager to walk?" Dust said with a chuckle as they regained balance.

Luna gave him a smile, turning her head sideways to give him an almost seductive look. "Maybe I wanted to dance."

"Well, you've had your dance, sweetie." Dust replied. "And it only proved one thing: We suck at it."

They both cracked into laughter at his words. For the next half-hour, they walked back and forth across the room, until Luna thought it was enough for one

day. They let go of each other, and Luna once again returned to her normal, all four hooves on the floor, stance.

"Dust, would you mind if I asked you.. a question?" Luna said carefully.

After the walk, Dust had sat down in the chair again, and Luna did something she'd never done before: she sat down on the floor right next to him, leaning

her head against his right arm. He lifted it up and wrapped it around her neck, and she instead placed her head against the side of his chest. His heartbeat

could be hear faintly through his body.

"I think you just did." Dust replied jokingly. "No, go on, ask whatever you want to, love."

"What.. what was your life like earlier? Before you came here?"

"You mean before I met you?" Dust asked her back.

"No, in your own world.."

Dust sighed. Again, he had to be reminded of it. First Rarity, now Luna. He didn't answer. Didn't want to think about it again, he was tired of the pain

it brought with it.

"Dust?" Luna whispered after a while. "I'm sorry, maybe you don't want to talk about it..?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not really, no. It's.. painful."

"I'm sorry I reminded you.." Luna whispered back. She reached her head upwards and planted a tender kiss on his cheek, seemingly to comfort him.

Dust turned his head, and his lips met hers for a few seconds. "It's okay." He mumbled between their lips.

Strangely enough, the guards didn't react to their kissing either. They used to yell at them simply if they came to close to each other, but now they had

not uttered a single word as they practiced their "walking" and kissing. Strange, but Dust wasn't going to complain. A kiss was a kiss, a connection

with his mare, and he had no desire to break that connection without being forced. Yet of course, they had to break the kiss eventually, as both of them

needed to breathe. They look at each other, smiling, but when Luna leaned in for another kiss, Dust stopped her by pressing a finger over her lips.

A thought had just come to his mind.

"Could I ask you something instead?" He said, without removing his finger from her lips. She nodded in response.

"How did you get back..?" Dust said in a low, wondering voice. "From the moon, I mean. What happened?"

He removed his finger to allow her to speak. Her neck slouched a bit and she looked away, as memories came flooding into her mind.

"Tell me, and I promise I'll tell you everything about my life back on Earth." Dust whispered.

Lunas eyes turned back to his, and sadness coated them as she opened her mouth to speak. And a bit of shame.

"You.. you know what happened to me, right?" She said, quietly. Dust nodded.

"I've read about it. Nightmare Moon, was that what they called you..?"

"Yes." Luna answered. "But nevermind about that, if you already know.. I came back to Equestria after a thousand years, as the curse that bound me

somehow broke after all that time. I'm not sure myself how it all worked. Of course, my return was not pleasant, so my sister sent out six mares to

acquire the 'Elements of Harmony'. Leading that group was Twilight Sparkle."

Dust felt his heart stop as Luna mentioned that name. "Twilight..?"

"You know her?" Luna asked him.

"Well, not really.. but we've.. talked.. once.. I think.." Dust said slowly, lying straight into her face.

"Anyway, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be here, I would probably still have been Nightmare Moon, or still up in the skies, or worse.. Tartarus."

"Tartarus?" Dust quickly asked in an attempt to lead the conversation away from Twilight.

"A prison. Or more like an endless abyss, deep underground. The most vile creatures of this world are imprisoned there."

"And they would put you in there?" Dust asked. "If they did.. I'd get you out, no matter what. Nopony will take away your freedom from you."

No longer able to contain herself, Luna kissed him again, whispering "Thank you, love." as she did. "But luckily, they did not, and now I'm here with you."

"Yeah, and I hope you never leave.." Dust answered her as they broke another kiss. "So, I guess it's my turn now, right? Go on, ask me anything."

Luna blinked her eyes slowly, and for a moment they looked so much bigger. Dust could almost feel himself getting sucked in by them.

"I feel like I could lose myself in your eyes.." He whispered.

Luna smiled at his words, and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "What.. what did you do? How was your life, your family?"

"Well.." Dust said with a sigh. "At least you didn't ask me about politics." He chuckled at his own words, but Luna didn't react to it.

"I wouldn't mind learning a bit about that as well." She said, with a somewhat serious tone.

"No, you don't." Dust replied. "You really don't. Politics back in my world was a mess when I.. left."

Luna looked a bit disappointed as she answered him. "Very well, tell me about your everyday life then."

"Alright. I used to live with my parents and my younger brother." Lunas eyebrows arched. "Yeah, hard to see me living with my parents? We didn't have

much money, so neither me nor my brother could afford a place of our own, so we just.. got stuck at home. A small apartment in an even smaller town.

We both studied, but with different goals in mind. My brother wanted to work in the medical field. You know, surgeries, decease, anything. But he never

did, because of some.. unexpected complications. That I'd rather not go into detail about."

Lunas face had taken on a look of worry. "Do you miss him?"

"Of course I do." Dust said with a sad smile. "Anyway, I didn't get to where I wanted to be either. After a few years of studies, I dropped of.. I realised that

it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. Instead, I got myself a petty job, wich wasn't really a good one, but it gave me money quickly. Believe it or not,

I worked as a mailman."

Lunas mouth slowly grew into a smile. "You, a mailman? No, I don't believe it-!" Her voice failed her as she burst out in laughter.

"It's not funny!" Dust objected, but couldn't help himself from laughing as well. Luna nodded her head in response as they kept on laughing.

Luna tried to answer him, but was unable due to her laugh. It was a bit too hard a laugh over something so small, but since she hadn't had a good laugh

in a long time, she let it overwhelm herself. Dust joined in, chuckling. After a few seconds, Luna rested her head over his thighs, still laughing, but less so now.

As they both calmed down, Dust put his hand on her neck, carefully moving it down her mane, then going back up to her head, stroking all the way down

again.

"Still, I don't need that life anymore. That's what Rarity tried to tell me, before.." He said the third time he moved his hand across her mane,

digging his fingers into it as he moved his hand, like a brush. " She was right. My life is here now. With you."

Without realising it, Dust's eyes teared up. As he tried blinking them away, a few tears fell on Lunas mane. He did his best to hold it back, but couldn't. A

short sniffle escaped his nose as he reached his fingers to his eyes in order to wipe his tears.

"She was right.." He clenched his thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of his nose, pressing into the sides of his eyesockets.

Luna looked up at him when she heard his sobs, and her face showed nothing but worry. She didn't know what to do, and simply observed her lover as he

broke down into heavier tears.

"Said I needed to forget about my life, forget about my brother, if I would ever live a happy life here.. And I didn't listen." Dust let his body fall forward,

and Luna had to get her head up from his thighs fast, so as not to get stuck between them and his chest.

He landed on the floor in front of the chair on his knees, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the floor as well.

"I should have listened to her."

Not knowing what to say or do, all Luna did was to slowly sit down next to him. She placed her hoof on his back, gently stroking him the same way he'd

stroked her mane. Her eyes started to tear up as well. "Honey.." She tried whispering. "I know what you did was wrong, but try to think of it as positive

instead. If it hadn't happened, we would have never met each other.."

She lowered her head towards his ears. "You showed me I could love."

At these words, Dust's sobbing came to a sudden stop. He turned his head slightly to the right to see her eyes looking at him. Cyan eyes, dripping with

tears. At that moment, he pushed his own sorrows aside. Even though he would probably never forgive himself for what he did, Luna mattered more to

him, and he realised that in doing this; crying like a baby in front of her, he just caused her more pain instead. Selfish.

He got up from the floor, and still on his knees, he embraced the crying mare. Squeezing her close. "I'm so sorry, Luna.. I only think about myself.. I'm

sorry.."

"Don't worry about it.." He heard Lunas whispering voice answer. "I'll always be here, and I'll do my best to help you get over it."

Dust let go of her, and looked back into her eyes. He reached his hand up to her face. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life." He said as he wiped away her

tears.

The chamberdoors flung open. The couple on the floor jumped at the sudden sound, turning to look what was going on. In the door, a red pony slowly

walked inside. As it came closer, they saw it was a stallion, a pegasus. When the guards closed the doors behind him, the stallion, who looked rather small

compared to other ponies, trembled and looked back at the doors with fear in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Luna said quickly, raising her voice a little as she addressed the pegasus.

The pegasus turned his gaze back to the couple as Luna spoke to him, and started stuttering instantly. "I-I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, princess, it's just.."

His eyes turned to Dust. "I've h-heard so much about this human, and I just wanted to.. to meet him."

"Well, now you've met me." Dust answered the frightened little pegasus. "I'm Dust. And you are..?"

"N-No-Hope." The pegasus replied.

"Nice to meet you, No-Hope."

"Y-yeah, sure." No-Hope said, his voice starting to sound a little less frightened. "S-so is it true, princess?"

"About what?" Luna raised her eyebrows at his question.

"That-that you.. like.. this.. man?" The pegasus eyes travelled back and forth between the couple.

"Yes, I like him." Luna said back to him, putting emphasis on the word like. "And he has a name, and it's not 'man'. I love my Dust, and I don't care what

you, my sister or anypony else has to say about it."

"Of c-course, my princess." No-Hope stuttered in response. "I didn't mean to.. offend.. I just.. Sorry, I better head back to Twi now.."

"Twilight Sparkle is here?" Luna asked him.

The pegasus hesitated for a second, his eyes meeting Dust's. "Yeah, s-she's here in the castle.. resting.."

"Resting, why? Has something happened to her?"

"Um.." No-Hopes voice died down. If looks could kill, the look that Dust gave him right now would probably have ripped him in pieces. "It's.. She's just

stressed. Yeah, stress."

Lunas face once again took on a worried expression. "Poor thing. Be sure to let me know when she gets better."

No-Hope nodded. He then began stuttering again, claiming he should leave before he got missed or forgotten or if Twi wasn't feeling okay she might need

him or he might help her with something or just be there for her.. His ramblings finally went silent as the doors closed behind him. Dust got up on his feet

when he realised he was still standing on his knees.

"He seemed terrified, for some reason.." Luna said, still looking towards the doors.

"Can't imagine why." Dust answered with a cold tone in his voice.

It had all been so easy. Too easy. All he had to do was to wait for Luna to fall asleep, sneak up and use Jormundgand on the two guards. He didn't kill

them or harm them, he simply put them both in deep, heavy sleep. As the stallions snored loudly and Luna snooses in bed, Dust had walked across the

room and exited unto the balcony. Looking up across the castle walls, he could see the balcony and windows that belonged to Celestias chambers.

Maybe she wasn't even there, but seeing as she was the princess apprentice, it would make sense for her to be resting in there.

The last time Dust had travelled between these balconys, he simply used his wings. He'd jumped of from Celestia balcony, spreading his wings out in

mid-air to absorb the impact. That had been easy. This time around though, he was going up instead of down, and it seemed he would have to climb.

Without hesitation, he stepped up on the balcony railing. He grabbed the top part of the window, heaved himself up and at the same time he placed his

left foot on the balcony door. It had been a long climb, thanks to his wounds. Even though they now were healed, the pain still loomed inside.

But he had been right. She was there.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, right next to her. She didn't wake up, just kept on sleeping and snoosing. A thin strand of drool hung from her lips,

and for a second, Dust found himself thinking that the violet mare before him was actually.. pretty. Adorable, even. She looked just like a baby, the way

she slept. The kind of baby he would never be able to have with Luna. Carefully, he reached out his hand and touched her mane gently. It wasn't as

silky as Lunas, but still soft to the touch.

"Wake up, little one.." He whispered, barely making a sound. "The hour of twilight has come."

And almost instantly, Twilight opened her eyes.

For a few seconds, her brain didn't register what or who it was she was seeing. But as she did, her mouth opened, ready to scream loudly for help, cry out

after Celestia and have this horrible man brought to the gallows.. Dust pressed his hand over her mouth, and her scream was silenced before it even left her

mouth. He put a finger over his lips, hushing as he did so. Twilight instanly tried to use her magic against him in pure instinct, but of course, nothing

came out of the stump that used to be her horn.

"Don't worry, it will all be over soon, I promise." Dust whispered to her.

Twilight was paralized from fear, and couldn't do anything as the man climed up into bed, placing himself over her frail body. One leg on each side of her,

the way a human rides a horse. And it prevented her from moving as well. As he did this, never did he let go of her mouth, and with his free hand, he reached

over and grabbed the pillow next to her. Twilights heart beat so fast, she thought it would fly out of her chest. Maybe if it did, it would throw the man off of

her.

"Now, dear, just lay still and it will all be over before you now it." Something in the mans eyes changed, but all Twilight could see was some sort of red

spark, since his hood covered most of his face. "I'm sorry."

He then removed his hand from her mouth. And quickly pressed the pillow down on her face.

Immediately, Twilight panicked, and started thrashing her body around, but she couldn't move under the weight of the man. She tried to move her head, to

get away from the smuthering pillow, trying to find some pocket of air. But her head was pinned in place, and she couldn't move more than maybe a

centimeter, and she felt her lungs starting to scream for air.

She started kicking wildly with all of her legs, hoping she would hit the man somewhere, anywhere that might get him to recoil enough for her to get up.

But the more she kicked and thrashed, the more she felt herself sink. Finaly, she felt one of her hooves connecting with the man, sharply smashing up

between his legs. She knew for a fact that such a direct hit would make any male creature cringe in pain, but the man didn't even react, didn't loosen

his grip on the pillow. He didn't make a sound at all.

Twilights chest burned as her lungs got denied of the oxygen they needed so badly. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and she tried to scream again,

but all that came out of her mouth was a weak wheezing. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her legs started kicking again, this time involuntarily.

Her entire body shook, shivered spastically as the muscles inside of her tried to force air into her lungs.

Then, she saw Spike in front of her. He was standing a few feet away, smiling at her. His big, green eyes shined like giant emeralds as she ran towards him,

embracing him. They both fell to the ground, laughing and giggling childishly at the fall. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she finally got reunited with

her beloved little baby dragon.

The best assistant in the whole world.

Slowly, Dust lifted the pillow away from the tiny mare beneath him. Her head tilted sideways, her jaw dropped and her toung fell limply out of her mouth.

He'd done it again.

"I'm so sorry, Twilight.." He whispered as he carefully closed her mouth and did his best to make it look like she was sleeping.

He was selfish. Only cared about himself. Luna was wrong, he would never change, would always be a monster. His actions this night where proof of it.

Afraid of losing Luna, he'd removed the one thing that could break their relationship apart. The one thing that could reveal to her just what he had done.

He'd taken away the single thing that had made Luna into what she was today. Simply because he couldn't stand the thought of Luna leaving him.

A selfish pig. Luna said he was beautiful, both on the outside and the inside. That he was wonderful. She was wrong. She loved nothing more than a broken

man.

He placed the pillow back next to Twilight. He turned it around, since the one side was covered in saliva. Then he carefully got out of bed, minding

where he put down his feet and hands, so as not to hurt the violet mare more than he already had. He pulled the cover up over her, since they had been

riped off her as she flailed about. She looked so peaceful. Sleeping. Just like Rarity...

Another sin to add to his long list. Another tear in his soul.

Dust turned away from the bed, away from sleeping beauty, and headed towards the balcony once again. As he pushed the door open, there was a sound

behind his back. One that he realy did not want to hear right now. A gasp.

He turned around.

The chamberdoors closed without a sound behind a red pegasus. A red pegasus with white mane. No-Hope looked at Dust, then the bed, then back at

Dust again. His lips moved as if he was saying something, but not a sound came out of his mouth. Without even looking to see if Twilight was okay,

his mind gathered what had just transpired in the dark, quiet room.

And the moment the red pegasus understood, he cried out in agony, cried out in pain and suffering. The sound of a shattered heart. He unfolded his wings,

and dove through the room straight at Dust. He'd made a promise to himself, a promise that he would make this man pay for hurting Twi, and to make her

understand how much he cared for her. And now it was too late. Twilight had been ripped from this world, by the very same man. No-Hope had been too

late. He failed to protect her. Again. But he would not break his promise, he would look this man into his eyes as he died.

He slammed hard into Dust's right shoulder, and they both yelled out as they spiraled to the ground. The mans head hit the floor, and the pegasus hit the

wall, but both of them got up instantly. No-Hope launched towards him again, this time stretching out his forelegs, aiming for Dust's face. But Dust was

quicker, and tossed himself to the left just in time to evade his hooves. He then quickly threw his arms into the air and managed to grab hold of one of

No-Hopes hindlegs, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He tried to struggle and punched wildly into the air as Dust stood up, lifting him up in one hand.

With a jerk of his leg, Dust's foot connected sharply with the pegasus head, and he whimpered in pain. No-Hope expected him to throw him across the room

or kick him again, but was surprised as the human simply let him go, and he landed with a thud on the floor. As he looked up, the man had turned around

and made his way back towards the balcony. Pushing himself, the pegasus crawled the few feet towards Dust, and without knowing what to do,

opened his mouth and bit down hard around his heel.

The man groaned in pain, and spun around to face No-Hope. He janked his foot out of the stallions mouth, and before No-Hope had time to move, the man

brought his foot down on his left wing. Tears welled up and he cried out in pain as he felt the bones in it break. He didn't even have time to stop screaming

until the foot crushed his right wing as well.

No-Hope cried loudly, tears streaming like a river out of his eyes. "You.. I HATE YOU!" He shreiked between his sobbings. "You took Twi away from me!"

He chocked up and started coughing, but stopped as another kick hit him, this one aimed into his face. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and a few teeth

landed on the floor next to him.

Dust didn't answer his cries, he just walked away slowly, out unto the balcony. Without even looking back, he dissapeared over the edge, and left No-Hope

to die alone. He kept on crying, shouting after the man, but no answer came. He tried to crawl over to the bed, but the pain in his body was to great, and

he collapsed just by the side of it. He'd failed yet again.

"Twi.. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." He wheezed in his dying breath, as a pool of blood formed around him. "I.. I never got to tell you.. how much..

you meant to me.."

His vision faded.

"Twilight Sparkle.. I.. I love.."

No-Hope closed his eyes, never to open them again.

Regelius watched the sunrise from his window as he always did, but this morning, his mind was elsewhere. He'd been up all night, thinking about what

Celestia told him. Dying, she'd said. Withering away, like Cadence did. And no known cure. Soon, the princess would pass from this life, and leave him

alone, without the love he'd been wanting for so long. Even though he'd admitted his feelings to her, he never actually got around to say.. those words.

The three words that could change his life.

He needed to tell her, and he abandoned the window, trotted over to the door. If she would leave this world, she needed to know. Not only that, but he felt

something wasn't quite right this morning, and he just had to find out what it was. First, he would go check on Twilight, then perhaps wish a good morning

to Luna and Dust, to show his support, then he would visit Celestia. But still, as he trotted down the corridors towards his destination, that feeling kept on

nagging in the back of his head, like he forgot something.

As Regelius rounded a corner, he almost walked straight into a young maid who was busy cleaning and.. hanging.. up decorations..

"Um.. Forgive me, I did not see you there.." He began, but the maid interupted him.

"Oh, it's fine, sir. No harm done." She said with a shy smile.

Regelius smiled back at her, nodded and started walking around her. As he passed, she quickly added. "Oh, and happy Heartswarming Day, sir!"

Heartswarming Day. Buck it, that's what he'd forgotten. it was today, and he forgot all about it.. Well, no matter. He wished the maid the same with another

smile, then kept on trotting down the corridor. Perhaps this day wouldn't be so bad after all. Perhaps he could muster up enough courage to talk to Celestia

as well. Yes, that would make an excellent present for himself, to finally get it off his chest.

His smile only grew as he approached the chamber where Twilight rested, and with an almost cheerfull voice he knocked on the door.

"Twilight? Time to get up, It's Heartswarming Day!"

When she didn't answer, he opened the door and looked inside. The room was dark, but he could still see her sleeping on the bed. He smiled, thinking

something about young ponies these days, and back at his time things where different.. But then he stopped in his tracks. Red stains on the floor had

caught his eyes. Clear, crimson stains on the white marble floor. Blood. His heart stopped as he looked back at Twilight. And his monocle fell to the floor.

"Oh, no.." He whispered as he slowly approached the bed. Now, he clearly saw that she wasn't moving. In fact, she wasn't even breathing.

Regelius hurried around the side of the bed to see her face, but once again stopped dead in his tracks, and what he saw on the floor made his legs shake,

and he almost fell to the floor. Stains of blood covered the floor, long stains leading up to a large puddle, just by the side of the bed. And in the puddle,

almost matching the clolor of the blood, apart from the white mane, was No-Hope. His wings had been spread out around him in an odd angle, clearly

broken.

His legs trembled as he took a few steps closer, whispering his friends name in hopes of a response, a movement. But the pegasus remained silent.

As he stepped in the blood, his hooves got stuck in the drying liguid. His best friends blood. Under his hooves. it became to much for him. He broke down

crying, and fell to the floor next to No-Hope. The blood soked his fur as he half-crawled towards his friend, his face distorted by sorrow, and his bright

purple eyes having lost their usual warmness.

The stallion cried like a baby as he lifted up his friends head in his forelegs, and he yelled out his name. Cradled his head. His screams had probably awoken

the entire castle by now, but he didn't care about anything else than the cold head in his hooves. He mumbled between his sobbing, telling the dead body

that he was always his best friend, and he had loved him. But now he was gone, and with him, a piece of Regelius died.

Somepony must've heard his howling, beacuse he could hear hurried hoofsteps in the distance, growing louder and stronger. Then, a few ponies appeared

in the doorway, all blabbering over each over, trying to ask what was wrong. A cracking sound could be heard as one of them stepped on the monocle.

It was Heartswarming Day. And three hearts had been ripped from this world.

A Game well Played

The early morning light fell upon Lunas closed eyes. A gloomy veil of bright light, that transformed into beautiful rays as her eyelids parted. Instantly she

squinted a bit and raised a hoof to her face, feeling like the sun would blind her. Behind her hoof, she could see the rays shining in through the clear glass

of the window, and flakes of snow sailed across the sky. As her eyes slowly adjusted after the long hours of sleep, she moved her hoof away from her eyes,

placing it down over her side. Her leg touched against something that didn't feel like a part of herself. It felt like ribs, but it was down on her stomach,

making it impossible for it to be any part of her ribs.

She moved her hoof back up a bit, touching the strange object on her stomach. It was hard, with a soft layer covering it. Something that felt like knuckles,

upon five.. Luna sighed at her own stupidity, and put her hoof back down, holding the hand of her lover close. Silly really, that something she had touched

so many times and was so familiar with, seemed completely alien to her. She blamed the deep sleep. A quiet yawn escaped her lips, and she stretched her

legs out, feeling sore in almost every joint.

Another yawn echoed her own, and the hand on her stomach moved slightly. A shiver went through her body as Dust moved his hand. He removed it from

her body, and a smile grew on her lips as he placed it over her hoof, gently stroking back and forth across the soft fur.

"Good morning.." His tired voice came from behind her back, followed by another yawn.

At first, Luna didn't want to turn around. Instead, she would just lay still and quiet, pretending to be asleep. it wasn't that she didn't want to turn and see

him, it was that she wanted to stay like this for a little while longer, lingering in the feeling of Dust's hand against her hoof, and the warmth that spread through

her every time she inhaled. It warmed her heart to know he would still be there, always be right there next to her. She'd never truly loved anypony, but with

Dust.. it was different. She would follow him to the end of the world and back, as long as she got to see those greenish-gray eyes, looking back at her with

nothing but pure emotion.

"Sweetie.." Dust's voice reached her ears again, this time closer. "..You awake?"

"Five more minutes?" Luna answered quietly, burrying her head deeper into the pillow.

Dust chuckled a bit, then she felt his hand on her hoof move slightly, moving down across her leg and unto her stomach once again. Another chill. The bed

shook a bit as he moved himself closer to her, and she felt his chest press against her back, over her wings, and then his stomach as well. For a moment,

Luna could have sworn her heart grew, and it felt like their bodys melted together. The human placed his head against her neck, tenderly kissing her cheek

as he did.

"Why not ten minutes?" He whispered.

Luna sighed, wishing it could be more than that. Just the two of them, alone. She loved him so much, and would never grow tired of the feeling of his

skin against her fur. And the steady beating of his heart against her back.

"Love you." She whispered back as she felt herself drift away.

Dust mumbled something into her ears, but she could only hear something about leaving and Celestia, before her eyes closed and she fell asleep again.

Bliss. Pure bliss. Heaven. She had never felt this kind of passion before, as Dust painted her name with kisses over her body..

ake up.. Luna, wake up..

Both Luna and Dust woke up abruptly as the chamberdoors blew open with a deafening sound. The two guards stationed inside got thrown across the

room as a ray of golden magic pushed the doors open and almost pryed them off their hinges. Luna gasped in fear, getting closer to Dust, who put his

arms around her to shield her.

"Sister!" A familiar voice called out from beyond the doors, though it sounded strained and broken.

Dust tigthened his grip on Luna as Celestia came rushing in through the broken doors, and her horn still glowing brightly from the magic she had just used.

The princess eyes widened in anger as she saw the couple on the bed.

"Get your hands off my sister, beast!" She demanded.

"What are you doing?!" Luna yelled back before Dust had time to answer. "You have no right to come here like this!"

Celestias eyes turned to Luna. "Dear sister.. Why don't you shut your mouth, or I could shut it for you."

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Dust shouted at the white alicorn.

As he shouted, Dust threw himself out of bed, without paying any attention to Lunas protests. He didn't care that he was unarmed and still weak, didn't

care that all he had on him was a pair of pants, and the fact that Jormundgand rested on his nightstand. He would not allow this mare to speak like that

to his loved one. All he could think about was to bash her face in.

But of course, being in such an exposed state, and without magic, he could do nothing as a ray of gold shot across the room. He didn't even have time to

dive to the floor, and was sure that this would be his end. Killed by Lunas sister, the one time he forgot to wear the ring. But he would live to fight another

day it seemed, as a flash of blue magic came sailing past his shoulder, slamming into the golden ray. Luna had saved his life, once again.

He threw himself over Celestia, who stood stunned from the sudden impact of Lunas magic. Hands outstretched in front of him, he clamped them down

around Celestias neck.

"Dust, stop!" Luna cried out.

A seconds hesitation. Another beam of magic.

Dust fell to the floor with a the sound of skin meeting stone, almost like the sound of a slap. He didn't get up. Lunas heart had stopped the moment she saw

him fall, and she watched him with tears in her eyes. Her insides twisted, threatening to hurl up into her throat. Paralyzed out of fear, she just sat and watched

as a golden aura engulfed Dust, lifted him up from the floor unto his knees.

"Say farewell to your beloved man-beast, sister." Celestia said with a grin, her voice clearly that of triumph. "He's going to the dungeons, and then.."

"Please don't harm him.." Luna pleaded, her entire body shaking.

"I won't harm him." Celestia answered. "I'm just going to.. Maybe I'll throw him off of the higest tower. Yes, that would be fitting."

Luna cried out to her sister yet again, pleading mercy for her lovers life.

"Then we'll see just how well he flies, without wings.."

The white princess turned around and headed towards the door, dragging Dust's body behind her with the use of her magic.

"Sister, please! Take me instead! Why are you doing this?!" Luna yelled franticly.

Celestia stopped just in front of the doors, and without looking at Luna, she spoke in a cold voice. "Twilight Sparkle is dead. Along with No-Hope. Killed

by this man." She exited the door without saying another word, and Dust dragged along, dissapeared from her sight.

If Lunas heart had stopped as Dust fell, her brain had just shut down. It felt as if both her heart and brain imploded, leaving behind nothing but emptyness,

a big hole where her very soul now threatened to fall in. Twilight.. dead. No, Celestia had to be lying, it couldn't be true. And No-Hope, that nervous little

pegasus.. Why would anypony want to hurt him? And Dust had been with her all night..

A long time passed as Luna sat on the bed, staring blankly into nothing, lost in her thoughts. Slowly, her mind returned to her, and her heart started beating

again. At least, she thought it did. The tears had dried on her face, and she had finally stopped shaking. As the shock settled, she managed to get herself

out of bed. She didn't belive any of this, and she was going to go to her sister and demand and explanation as to why she had lied to her like that. And

she needed to see Dust, make sure he was alright. If he was still alive, that is..

Luna took no notice of the mares and stallions of the court that tried to talk to her as she passed them. Didn't even look at them, didn't stop when they called

after her or simply looked at her with either disgust or worry. They were all dead to her now. Walking, colorful corpses, and they all had something to say

to her. But if anypony tried to stop her, that pony would truly become a corpse. Burnt to ash.

As she rounded the corner into the corridor leading to her sisters chambers, she was surprise to see strange lines blocking the door, and a couple of stallions

talking with a young maid. She couldn't make out what they said, since they were so far away, but she didn't care anyway. Useless heaps of meat and

bone, blabbering endlessly.

One of the stallions looked up as she approached, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. Instantly, he placed himself in front of the door.

"Princess, what.. what are you doing here?" He stuttered in a failed attempt to sound calm.

"Get out of my way." Luna replied instantly without slowing down.

The stallion didn't budge, and Luna reacted in the blink of an eye. He was wearing a tie around his neck, and with her magic, Luna grabbed it and pulled on

it hard, lifting him a few inches from the ground. She levitated him a bit to the right, and let go of the tie again. The stallion took a deep breath and started

coughing. Luna didn't care, and just walked straight past him. As she did, she noticed that his cutie mark resembled some sort of oddly shaped pen,

surrounded by blue light. It was of no importance to her tough, so she ignored it and opened the door to her sisters chambers.

The moment she stepped inside, she opened her mouth to yell at Celestia, but she quickly closed it again as she saw that the room was empty. Except the

violet mare on the bed.

"Twilight, is that you..?" She asked, but got no answer.

Feeling panic build up inside her, she carefully took a few steps towards the bed. It was cold in here, much colder than the rest of the castle. Maybe even

colder than outside. Why? Maybe because the only habitant of this room was dead, cold..

"Please answer me, Twilight."

But as Luna came closer to the bed, and could see around it.. Her world shattered. Dead. A pegasus covered in blood, a broken Twilight. Celestia didn't

lie. It took her a few seconds before she could move once again, and when she did, her stomach turned up-side-down, and she threw up over the floor.

Not much came out of her since she hadn't eaten anything for a while, but a lot of liquid spewed out of her mouth, mixing with the dried blood, turning it

into a redish-brown soup. It felt as if her entrails were trying to get out of her throat, all at the same time. To her surprise, her vomiting stopped before

her insides hurled themselves unto the marble floor.

Her stomach started aching badly as she wiped of her lips with a hoof, still staring at the bodies in front of her. She didn't cry, didn't scream. There was no

use, nopony would care about it anyway, they would all take her sisters side, say she was a traitor who whored herself to a beast, and that she deserved

this pain. But there was nothing she could do about anything now. Twilight was dead and gone, leaving behind only the memories of her achievements in

life. Luna herself being one of them.

Somepony or something had killed them, but it hadn't been Dust, that was impossible, he could never do something like this. He'd changed. She refused,

completely, utterly bucking REFUSED to believe he would have done this. Never. Even though he'd done some horrible things and mistakes in his past,

those things where forgotten now, he had changed, she was sure of it.

Still, what she thought didn't matter, everypony listened to her sister. If she said that Dust did this, that was the truth. Luna had no choice. She had to find

Dust and get him out of here forever, just like she'd been fantasising about for so long. Her fantasies had been a bit more romantic though, and not involving

all this death. Their plan of overthrowing her sister didn't matter anymore, the Lunar Republic could wait, but Dust couldn't. And seeing as this republic

only contained two members, wich also happened to be the founders of it, they probably didn't stand a chance against her sisters troops.

Find Dust, get out of there. Nothing else mattered.

Quickly, she turned around and headed back to her chamber.

Nothing would stop him now. Nopony to stand in his way.

The early morning breeze caressed Regelius cheek, tugged on his mane and tail. It was chilly, but not really cold, as if the winds brought with it the remnants

of spring from far away, long forgotten by this land. The sun in the sky warmed his face, and he stared straight into it, not minding the fact that his eyes

hurt and teared up from the bright light. It didn't matter to him anymore, such simplicities. Ponies take so much for granted, without ever giving a thought

as to why they did so. Why?

Now, it felt as if he could finally see what life truly was. The thin veil had been removed, allowing him access to the deepest reaches of the state of being

they called existence, life. And what was life if nothing but pain and suffering. A cruel, sadistic joke, played out on the unsuspecting pawns. Just like that

young couple he'd seen in town a few days earlier. They probably never spoke again, her leaving him to die alone, and the stallion feeling like she tore his

heart out once she left. Maybe he was already dead, passed through the vail into the endless abyss.

Regelius blinked his eyes, turned them away from the sun. Not because the pain got to him, but because he needed to see around him, find what he was looking for.

The view from her was breathtaking. From this, the highest tower in the entire castle, not a single part of Canterlot remained unseen to him. The morning sun

made the white buildings shine brightly, almost blinding him as much as the sun did.

He slowly walked up to the railing, and with a stretch of his neck, he could see the ground, far below. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down. Did

anypony beneath him in the streets see him? Probably not, but it would have been a bit of a comfort to know that somepony would witness what he

was about to do. He placed one of his forehooves on the railing, hesitated.

For many years, he'd been part of the princess court, never faulting in his loyalty. If they only knew where it truly lay. But he no longer care for loyalty, not

to Celestia or anypony else. The death of Hope had forever changed something in him, broke a part of his mind.

Lilith. His sister. He missed her, his only family. But, just like with Equinox, she was dead. Even though he had called both of them sisters, Lilith was the

only real one. Both of them had called him brother. Now, he was the only one of them left, everypony else scattered in the wind like leaves.

He placed the next hoof on the railing.

And what about Aurora? She would probably damn him for all eternity, but what did that matter, if he was allready gone. Her curses would fall upon deaf

ears. Dead ears. She could be thrown to the hounds of Tartarus for all he cared, along with her so-called salvation. And what a salvation it was, truly the

redemption of all living things, as she had called it. More like one mares desperate attempts to find love.

Perhaps her theory about the Jormundgand was right, perhaps it really could bring back the Alicorns, but he doubted it, and no longer cared about it.

How could he even have believed those crazy lies of hers? Why did he even become part of the Void Seekers?

Because he wanted to belong.

Wanted to be part of something, feel like he was needed. After the death of his parents, he had wandered the earth without a purpose, without guidance.

When he met Aurora, everything changed, and he once again had a family. Ponies that loved him like a brother. They learned him about the joys of life,

and thought him the art of speech. They gave him the silver tongue he had become so known for in court.

He obeyed Aurora's biding without hesitation, clutching at every chance to feel loved. Like a dog begging for a treat, he would have done anything

for appreciation. As they say, a drowning man, or in this case pony, would clutch at a straw. And he did. No matter what his new family asked of him,

he carried it out. He'd even killed for them. On several occasions.

A sudden peak in the wind caused him to lose balance and wobble, and for a split second, he was sure the ground came closing in, but he regained his footing.

For years, Regelius had belonged, and when Aurora asked him to infiltrate the royal court and gain the trust of the princess, he'd obeyed without asking

any questions. Looking back at it now, he wished he'd said something instead. Aurora didn't contact him for several years, and slowly he started believing

that perhaps.. They'd forgotten him. Another family that no longer existed. But at this point in his life, he didn't care if they had. During his time in the castle,

he fell in love. Not only with the princess herself, but the entire castle and town as well.

Again, he belonged, this time to the city and the ponies residing in it. Court had been a game all along, but now he no longer had to play that game.

But then, Aurora had contacted him, asking him about his current situation. He told her nothing about his feelings for the princess. In a way, he played

the game again, but against Aurora.

Time passed by, and he met No-Hope. They instantly became firm friends, despite the fact that they met in a rather painful way. Hope had slammed right

into Regelius face as he ran through the castle to deliver some paperwork. And now he was gone, taking Twilight with him to an early grave. Celestia would

pass soon as well, and he would be all alone again. Regelius couldn't stand the thought of it.

His time had come, the time to leave the world of the living and join his sister in eternity. Maybe, Celestia would come to his side eventually.

Salvation of the Alicorns. The Jormundgand was, according to Aurora, the key to it all. She believed that if it regained its old powers, she could take it back

to its shrine in the desert, and together with the spire in the cave, resurrect her extinct race, and bring back their ancient balance to the world. That's where

his role came into place. When Dust found the ring, they had to make sure that he helped it gain power. Rarity had been the beginning, a pony of little importance.

With the magic it absorbed from Twilight, it only needed one more thing to return to its former state.

Alicorn magic. Celestias magic.

Aurora wanted Regelius to protect Luna and Dust in order for them to carry through with their plans of rebellion, and strip Celestia of her powers, as well

as her horn. Then, they would toss her aside like a piece of garbage, worthless to everypony. Regelius did as he was asked, and protected the couple, since

their situation corresponded with his views on love as well. But with the death of his best friend, he decided that it was time to end this charade. He was too

weak to stand up against Aurora, too weak to do anything.

The only thing he could do was to leave the board. The Steed; the pawn that moved in a crooked path around his opponents, had finally fallen. Time to

remove it from the board and add it to the pile of discarded allies.

Regelius closed his eyes as he raised his left hindleg up, placing it on the railing as well. It was an awkward position, balancing on only one leg, and the wind

made his body tremble. Quickly, without hesitation, he removed his last hoof from the floor, and felt wind pushing against him. The time in court had truly

been a game, a game of the Void.

He sailed through the air, the strong current forming around his body threatened to crush him like bug, and his mane slapped him across the face.

The last of the Void Seekers fell, and with him, the truth.

In his mind, he remembered his time with his sisters. Just like No-Hope, he didn't have a cutie mark, despite the fact that he was in his early 20s. He had

earned it together with the Seekers, as well as his monocle. The monocle that gave him his cutie mark. A strange way of earning it.

His last thoughts went to Celestia, that amazing mare. Her shiny white coat, and shimmering mane. He'd never got the chance to touch that mane.

Love can be a cruel game. The only game he didn't win.

His body shattered against the cobblestone street.

Singing Blades

A strange smell reached Lunas nostrils as she once again entered her chambers. First, there was a the smell of Dust. The cotton from the bedsheets,

mixed with the cent of sweat and skin, probably from them spending the night tightly wrapped around each other. The smell of wool traveled across the

room from Dust's tattered robe, and then there was this odd smell behind it all, in the background. A sour yet at the same time sweet, metallic smell, with a

hint of something reminding Luna of burning embers.

The smell of magic.

No doubt, that of Celestias magic. She looked around the room in search for anything useful. Her eyes fixated on a small black object on the nightstand

on Dust's side of the bed, and she quickly walked up to it. With the string of the Jormundgand now clamped between her teeth, she hurried across the

room to grab a pair of old saddlebags she'd never had to use before. The Jormundgand went inside one of the pockets, as well as Dust's shirt.

The robe was difficult to fit inside the pocket with all of these things, but she managed to fold it with her magic and place it in the other bag, filling it to the

brim.

Before she went for her closet, Luna carefully turned her head around towards her left wing. Flexing the wing a bit under the straps of the saddlebags, she

got ahold of a couple of feathers with her teeth, and yanked them out, and then placed them inside the bag as well. Hopefully, Dust could use them.

As she hurried towards her closet, she passed a mirror, and she saw something in the reflection in the corner of her eyes. Something.. Off. She quickly

pushed those thoughts aside as an aura of blue light engulfed the closetdoors, swinging them open in front of her. In an instant, she found what she was

looking for, something she hadn't worn for a long, long time

And old cloak, dark grey in color, hanged from a hook inside the closet.

Last time she wore it was on Nightmare Night, a few years back. Since then, it had hung right there, unused and unwanted, gathering up dust as it slowly

aged. Luna reached her head inside and grabbed the cloaks clasp between her teeth, and as she swung it off the hook and around her neck, a vortex

of dust and cobwebs spread into the air. She coughed slightly as it entered her lungs.

The cloak didn't fit her that well at the moment, due to the saddlebags strapped to her body, and it looked like she had some sort of lump on her back,

hidden underneath the cloak. No matter though, as soon as she gave Dust what he needed, she would leave the bags behind, and the cloak would fit nicely

again. She pulled the big hood up over her head, closed the closet and turn around to exit the room.

As she walked past the mirror again, she couldn't help but take a quick glance at what she thought she saw just moments earlier. In the reflection, a hooded

mare with cyan eyes glared back at her. She'd never liked those eyes, or her face. Call it childish or sibling rivalry, but she had always felt herself inferior

to her sister. She would never be as pretty as her, no matter what Dust thought. But the thing that caught Luna's eyes was something else, something in

her coat. The usually blue color.. looked different. Darker, somehow. Not pitch black or anything, just a darker shade of blue.

Even though it was strange, she had more important things to think about right now. Luna turned her eyes away from the mirror once again, and quickly

galloped across the room and out into the corridor, setting her aim for the dungeons.

Water dropped somewhere nearby. A pool of it had formed on the ground, and the sounds of the waterdrops breaking the surface of it travelled across

the dark, empty room, echoing back and forth between the walls. More water streamed down the walls in various places, adding even more to the chilly

atmosphere.

Dust shuddered. Crawled up in one of the farthest corners of the room, he observed the door leading outside without taking his eyes away from it for even

a second. She would come for him, he was sure of it. The room was freezing, and his skin felt like ice. He would probably get a cold, no matter if he

got out of here or not. When the guards threw him in, he'd landed face down in a pool of water, and it soaked his entire body, chilling him to the bones.

How long had he even been here? It felt like days, or maybe hours. Perhaps just minutes. He wasn't sure, it was as if this horrible place sucked out everything,

every rational thought. Time was no longer part of his mind. The only thing he could think of was Luna, where she was and what might had happened to

her. If anypony hurt her, even so much as touched her, he would hunt that pony down and make it pay. And Celestia would pay the price as well.

He curled himself up tighter in an attempt to keep warm. As he kept on watching the door, he could see the walls getting closer in the corner of his eyes.

Then the ceiling started moving down towards him. He felt himself shrink as his surroundings enclosed him, crushing his bones like twigs, and he felt his

lungs collapse inside him, his last breath of air escaping his lips..

"Don't be afraid."

A voice reached his ears. A calm, silky voice, and instantly, the walls and ceilings withdrew and his body seemed to heal itself. Not that any of those things

actually happened, but in his mind, they did. Was the voice real? He had no idea, even though he recognized the voice the moment he heard it. Rarity was

in the room with him. Or maybe she was in his mind with him. Or alone in there. Never the less, he didn't answer her. Had to focus on the door.

"Dust, look at me." Rarity's voice said. "It's quite alright, you don't have to worry."

He didn't move. She wasn't real, couldn't be, impossible. He was just going insane from this fucking room. Nothing to worry about, just his mind breaking down.

Luna would come. Soon.

A white figure entered his field of vision. "Please, I want to help you.." Rarity walked up to him and sat down on the floor a few inches in front of him.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Dust finally said, his voice broken. He tried to raise his voice, but all that came out of his mouth was a weak whisper.

"Only to help."

"How can you possibly help me?" Dust replied. "You're dead, a ghost or something, I don't know, are you a ghost?" He stuttered.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, darlin'." The white unicorn answered calmly.

"Fine. Whatever you are, would you please leave me alone? I've had enough with you and that.. evil.. Luna.. thing.. whatever it is. And one more thing,

whenever you show up, she's always with you, and I really don't need that right now.."

"She won't bother us. She's unable to get here at the moment. Relax, it's just us. Now, perhaps I can finally get you to understand."

"Understand what?" Dust asked.

"That what happened wasn't your fault." Rarity said back to him. "You were being controlled by something else, not your own mind."

"Oh, thanks.. It makes me feel so much better knowing that someone else is groping around inside my brain."

"Something else." She said. "Not someone."

"Whatever." Dust responded, growing tired of the conversation. "Why won't you just leave me alone? I've got a new life now, and I've.. come to terms with

what I did." And as he said it, it felt as if a weight lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't lying, he'd accepted his mistake, and learned to live with it. "I.. I

don't want to dwell in the past."

He finally tore his eyes from the door, and looked straight at Rarity. "I don't need you anymore."

Without answering, Rarity stood up once again, and took the few more steps needed to reach him. They looked each other in the eyes as she raised her

forelegs and embraced him. Dust didn't feel a thing. She wasn't cold or warm, just.. as if she wasn't there. Carefully, the mare planted a final kiss on his

cheek, and before his eyes, she began fading.

When she was all but gone, he could hear her voice again. "I'll always be with you, watching you. Good bye darlin'. Love you."

Then, she was gone. That was the last time Dust ever saw her.

Luna stood terrified at what lay before her. Terrified at the scene, terrified by the fact that she caused it.

In front of her, a stallion laid spread out across the floor, one of the guards on duty in the dungeons. Her stomach threatened to turn inside-out once again

as she observed the guards face, distorted in his last moment of pain and fear, his neck twisted completely around. His eyes bulged out of his head like

the eyes of a cow, and his mouth was frozen in a permanent silent scream.

The blue alicorn stepped around the stallion with tears in her eyes, running as fast as she could to get out of there. Several times she tripped, almost falling

flat on her face, but she regained her balance. Just had to get out of there, away from the stallion. The further away she got, the easier it would be to deny

it. If only he'd let her through instead, if only he'd stepped aside.. But he didn't, and now she ran from her own actions.

It wasn't easy taking someponys life. It would scar you forever, haunt you. At least, that was what she had been told. But it was all too easy. A quick

surge of magic and a twist, and it had all been over. A living being, denied of life and cast away into the abyss. She only felt disgusted by her decision.

Once she got to her destination, once she could just fall down exhausted and spent in the arms of her lover, everything would be alright.

Her hooves clattered hard against the stone floor as she ran, panting and wheezing from fatigue. Just before she thought she would collapse, she arrived

at her destination. The end of the corridor held only one massive iron door with a heavy bolt lock. It had been reinforced with several more locks and thick

chains. Her sister really did not want Dust to get out.

Without hesitation, Luna sent a flash of blue magic against the door, and as it hit the door bent inwards with a metallic sound, and the hinges loosened up.

She charged her magic again, but now she let it coat the entire door in blue light, and with a jerk of her neck, she ripped it straight out of the wall. It flew

straight past her, followed by dust, rocks and debris. She turned her face away and covered it with a hoof. Once everything had settled, she rushed in

through the open doorway.

She was met by a cold chill, slamming into her like a brick wall, and she gasped for air instantly. Her throat became cold, like she had just inhaled nothing but

ice.

"Dust!" She cried out as she spotted the human, crouched into a corner. She ran straight at him, throwing her forelegs around him. "I'm so sorry, I nevev

should have brought you here, I'm so sorry, my love, it's all my fault i-"

Dust silenced her with a kiss. "It's fine." He whispered. "Just.. get me out of here, please."

They got up from the floor, and Dust helped Luna remove the saddlebags. It took him no more than a couple of minutes to get fully dressed again, and with

Jormundgand safely around his neck. Slowly, he pulled the hood up over his face.

"Now you look like yourself again." Luna said, feeling a bit better with him beside her. "Oh, and.. here you go." She fished up the feathers she pulled out

earlier from the bag. "I thought you could.. use them." She finished.

"I could try." Dust replied. "I'll just.. try to throw them in the air, and see what happens."

Luna nodded and took a few steps back. Judging from what she saw last time he did this, she had no desire to stand too close to him. A sword through

the neck wouldn't really be helpful. She watched him repeat the same procedure as last time, how the feathers levitated in the palm of his hand, before

they shot up through the air. Except this time, they both hit the ceiling above them. Then they stayed up there for a while, floating in the air. Suddenly,

a bright light coursed through them.

One of the feathers started to change, growing longer and thicker, and once it fell to the floor, it had been fully transformed into a sword, identical to the

ones Dust had earlier. They both observed the second feather, still floating up in the ceiling. After a few more seconds, it started spinning around, faster

and faster, as another bright light slowly emanated from it. It too changed form, but not into a sword as they thought.

Instead, what fell to the floor the second time was something none of them had expected, and they stood amazed at what they saw: a scythe.

The handle of it was about the same length as the sword next to it, and in the same grey color, and a spiraling pattern traveled across it, from top to bottom.

At the bottom of the handle, a small crooked blade in the shape of a crescent moon shot out. On the opposite side was the main blade, coated in the same

dull blue as the blade of the sword, with patterns running all over it. The top side of the blade looked jagged, almost like teeth, while the downside of it

looked to be sharp enough to cut through stone.

The blade of the scythe had the shape of a regular scythe, only a bit thicker and slightly more bent. Overall, an odd yet fearsome weapon.

Dust picked both of them up one by one, examining the scythe as he placed the sword in his belt.

"So.. last time you created the swords, you said you envisioned something that could protect us.." Luna said slowly. "What in the world did you think

about to conjure up.. that.. thing?"

Dust shook his head as he carefully touched the sharp end of the blade. "Just.. more protection, I guess." He then turned his head towards her. "You look

good by the way. The cloak I mean. It suits you, that.. mystique."

Luna smiled a little at his words. "It made sense to wear this." She answered. "You're my stallion, and if my stallion wears a cloak and hood, it's only fitting

that his mare does so too. Now come on, we should get out of here."

Dust nodded. "Yeah.. With all of this, I'm sure we can take down your sister." He walked up to her and gave her a quick kiss. "And then we can finally take

our place, with you as rightful ruler of Equestria."

"And you by my side." Luna replied. "A queen needs a king, after all."

Before Dust could answer, however, the sound of clattering hooves and clanking metal filled the area, accompanied by loud yelling.

"The guards!" They both spat out at the same time.

Quickly, they ran towards the door and out into the corridor. The loud sounds of the guards came closer, and if they caught them here, they would get

pinned down, with nowhere but the cell to go. They had no choice but to keep on running and hope that they got away. Once they exited the narrow

corridor, they found themselves in a large room, and to make matters worse; it was full of stallions, all of them dressed in golden armor and with weapons

at the ready. Dust held the scythe in his left hand and drew his sword with the right.

Both him and Luna slowly backed up, ready for the incoming attack. "Luna.. Run, get out of here." Dust said between his teeth.

"No, I'm staying." Luna said back to him. "I won't leave your side, no matter what." Without Dust's permission, she quickly moved to her right and closed

her mouth around the handle of the scythe, and tugged it out of his hand.

Dust tried to protest, but was quickly cut off as the mass of guards all cried out in unison and set off running towards them. He closed his left hand around

the handle of his sword as well, and gritted his teeth against the soldiers.

"If we don't make it out of this alive.." He said, his voice gaining more strength the more he talked. "Know that I'll always love you!"

They both yelled loudly as they raised their weapons. In unison, they kicked off the ground and charged towards the guards.

Together, they would fight for their love, or die trying.

The sound of steel against steel rang out across the room as both sides clashed together violently. As they collided, Dust swiped through the air as hard as

he could, directly hitting one of the guards. Blood sprayed like a fountain as the body of the stallion fell, his head skidding across the floor.

Screams and cries filled the room as the human and the alicorn sliced their way through the crowd relentlessly, determined to live. Luna had forgotten

her disgust and fear of what she did earlier, the memory of the guard she ripped from life had completely faded from her mind as she sent the scythe

slising across the belly of her opponent.

Blood coated her, covering her cloak and legs, but she felt no disgust over it, no remorse over her actions when she grabbed another guard with her

magic and threw him hard into the nearest wall. The stallions body cracked, and he didn't get up again. Dust parried the blows of swords and axes as

best as he could, trying to find a gap in the endless barrage of blades.

"Luna!" He cried out, trying to make himself heard over the sounds of steel and flesh.

She didn't answer, but a few seconds later he heard the sound of magic blasting through the room, and a split second later it hit his sword. Instantly,

the blade started glowing in a blue light, and the guards eyes widened at the sight. They stopped for not even a second, and that was enough for Dust

to bring the blade down on them. The moment the sword impacted with one of the stallions, a massive thunder crack echoed through the room, and a spark

of blue magic sent them all tumbling backwards through the air.

Most of them hit the wall behind them and fell to the ground and instantly tried to get up, but was stopped by the rest of the stallions as they fell upon them,

a couple of them actually landing on their fallen comrades swords. Their legs flailed about like that of a bug on its back as the blades pierced their

bodies, slicing up through their stomachs and chests.

More blood sprayed over the floor and walls as the guards fell one by one, brought down by either a sword of a scythe, cut open like gutted pigs. Dust

looked over at Luna a split second, and he didn't even recognize her anymore. She looked almost crazy the way she slashed through the guards, covered

in blood and teeth gritted. Ferocious, almost feral in her attacks, as if she had lost grip of her sanity.

And then, just as suddenly as the battle had begun, it stopped, and the area went completely silent, apart from the couples panting breaths. A loud clank

echoed as Luna dropped the scythe to the floor. Dust ran up to her.

"Are you alright, did they hurt you?" He asked in a frantic voice. Luna shook her head.

"Let's.." She began. "Let's just.. get out of here. I think I'm going to be sick.."

Dust couldn't argue with that. Now that the primal instinct for survival had settled, the room made him sick to his stomach. Bodies, drenched in blood, severed

bodyparts, guts and more blood covered the floor. It looked like a slaughterhouse, in which ponies were the main product. Trying not to look anymore,

Dust picked up the scythe from the floor and put it in his belt. He grabbed Luna to help her get out of the room, and soon they started running again.

They rushed down the castle corridors, the blood on their bodies and cloaks stained the floor and walls as they passed, Several ponies of court looked at

them in fear as they ran past them, but nopony tried to stand in their way.

Finally, the doors leading into the throneroom appeared before them. When they got closer, blue magic engulfed the scythe again, pulling it from Dust's belt.

Luna once again grabbed it between her teeth, determination shining in her eyes. They ran through the doors into the throneroom, and got greeted by the eyes

of Celestia looking down on them from her seat in the throne. As well as the eyes from the dossens of guards surrounding her.

Everything stopped. Luna and Dust stopped, staring at the mass of ponies in front of them, and they stared back at them. Time stood still, and it seemed

as if the throneroom had been ripped out of this world and plunged into another dimension were nothing but silence existed.

Celestias eyes narrowed. Her mane seemed to have changed, the usual colors had faded a bit in strength. She looked old, and her eyes mirrored that age.

"My.. Look at you, dear sister." She said in a low voice. "I never thought you would have it in you."

"Shut up!" Dust spat out. "You have no right to speak to her that way!"

Celestia looked at him with an almost annoyed expression. She sighed and nodded her head. "Kill them both."

"Luna, shield!" Dust called out, and instantly fired up his own magic.

She nodded in response, and her horn lit up with magic, sending a ray of light a few feet into the air, then spreading out into a thin veil around them. Dust

did the same, and a red ray shot out from the palm of his hand. It grew and expanded above their heads, and once it met Lunas magic, they instantly mixed

into a dark purple. After just a few seconds, a big purple bubble surrounded the couple.

"I'd like to see them try!" Luna shouted back at her sister from inside the bubble.

As if this was a signal to attack, the guards rushed towards them with their weapons at the ready. A stampede of bloodthirsty stallions approached them

like a wall of death. The first guards to reach the shield yelled out and threw themselves against it, only to be silenced as their bodies disintegrated into dust.

The rest of the guards all stopped dead in their track, except a couple of unlucky ones that where to slow and met their fate against the shield.

"Ashes to ashes." Dust said.

"Dust to dust." Luna finished.

But then the shield started crackling as a flash of gold hit it. Celestia yelled out in triumph as the shield crumbled around them.

"Now, get them!" She cried, and the guards obeyed in an instant.

They rushed towards Luna and Dust, and once again the song of steel echoed across the castle. Broken notes and broken blades, the chorus of blood

building up to the final crescendo, the moment when magic flies freely across the sky, literally ripping the last notes of the song apart. The notes being stallions,

their shattered remains scattered by Dust's magic.

"You underestimated our powers, Celestia." Dust said slowly as the body of the last pony fell to the floor, blood spraying from its open throat.

Without fear or hesitation, they both approached the princess, who now started to look afraid, all trace of the fire in her eyes snuffed out.

"I'm sorry, sister." Luna whispered. "I've always loved you, but your actions cannot go unpunished."

Celestias eyes went back and forth between the two in panic. "Are you going to kill me..?" She asked of them.

Dust shook his head slowly. "No, princess. But from this day you have no more power upon this land, and you will answer to the rightful ruler of Equestria,

you sister. As of today, the Lunar Republic governs this land, and you will be permanently exiled."

"No, please don't send me away!" Celestia shouted. "Please sister, I don't.. Look at me! I'm sick, just like Cadence! Please, let me stay, let me pass with

my sister by my side.."

Luna and Dust looked at each other without saying anything. Then they both nodded.

"We will let you stay." Luna replied.

"But we must of course remove certain.. threats you possess. Wouldn't want you to stab me and Luna in the back."

"What are you talk-" Celestia began, but her voice quickly died away as the sound of steel flying through the air echoed around them.

In a few seconds of silence, the couple watched the white princess, who sat confused as to what had just happened. Then the pain struck her like a brick

wall, and she cried out and recoiled. As she did, her horn moved slightly on its own, sliding off her head after having been cut clean off by Dust's sword.

It hit the floor with a clanking sound that seemed to be loud enough to break the windows of the entire castle.

The last Sunset

Dust felt humiliated as he walked through the castle corridors towards his and Luna’s chambers. Humiliated, mocked, angry. Luna walked next to him, and

she had to kick into a trot to even keep up with him. His boots touched the floor with heavy sounds for every step, and it almost felt as if the sound was

actually coming from inside his head, rather than his feet. Like something trying to smash its way out of his skull.

"Listen, dear.." Luna said next to him. "..it wasn't that bad.."

"Not that bad?" Dust replied, scoffing as he did. "Did you even see them, Luna? They didn't say a thing, just stared at us like.. I don't know.."

"Yes, but.."

"And then they booed." Dust said with an angry voice. "Booed at US, at what we've done. I could have sworn I saw a couple of rotten tomatoes in the crowd. Maybe even a pitchfork and torch."

"I think you're overreacting.." Luna said slowly. "I'm sure they'll come around.."

"And what if they don't?" Dust said, raising his voice. "What if they'll just grow even more angry with us, and try to overthrow us as well?"

Luna stopped. "Of course they're upset with us, love, but they'll get used to us. We just told them that the princess had resided and that you and me

would take her place permanently. It's no surprise that they acted the way they did."

Dust stopped as well, but didn't turn around to look at her. "I hope you're right.." He turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "I just.."

"You just what?" Luna asked of him.

Dust sighed deeply, and took a step to his left, walking up to one of the many windows in the corridor. He didn't say anything else, and just stood there for

a while, looking out through the glass at the busy town below. Luna slowly walked up to his side, and carefully touched his hand with her hoof.

"I.." Dust whispered. "Did.. did we really do the right thing?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Luna said back to him.

"What we did to you sister." He answered her. "What if.. what if the same thing happens to us?" He turned and looked into her eyes, worry clouding his

vision. "To you.. Fuck it, I've only been a ruler for a few hours, and already I feel like giving it up.."

"You'll do no such thing." Luna replied, nuzzling his arm gently. "And don't worry about me, I'll be fine, as long as I have you."

Dust lowered his head, a sad look on his face. "I really don't deserve you.." He closed his eyes a bit longer than a standard blink.

"Maybe you don't." Luna answered. "But I still love you. And don't worry, in a while, I'm sure everypony will love us both." She reached her head up to

his lips and gave him a light kiss. "I promise, my king."

A weak smile spread across Dust's face at her words. "A king needs a queen." He answered her. "And.. come to think of it, I didn't really ask you properly.."

At first, Luna didn't understand what he meant, but before she had time to ask, the man before her fell to his knees, still with that little smile on his lips.

A shy laugh escaped her lips as he grabbed her hoof in his hands, and looked her in the eyes.

"Luna, I.." He began, slowly. "I.. hey, stop laughing, this is serious!"

"I'm sorry, it's just.."

"Listen, I love you and want to spend my life with you.."

"You look so silly, shorter than me, for once!"

".. Will you marry me?"

Luna’s laugh stopped instantly.

".. Of course I'll be your queen." She answered him, but Dust interrupted her.

"No, not queen. Or well, yes, but this is so much more than that. I'm asking you to marry me. Will you be my wife?"

Luna looked at him with those big eyes. God, he loved them so much. It was as if everything he loved about her could be found inside them, in that moment.

Even though he already knew her answer, he wanted to hear her say it.

"Of course I'll be your wife." Luna said with a smile. "Now get back up on your feet, I don't want to kiss a midget."

Dust grinned as he stood up again. "That was just mean, sweetie."

"I can be more than mean." Luna replied with a playful laugh.

"Save it for the wedding night." Dust said back to her with a smile, and gave her a tender kiss.

After they broke the kiss, Dust nodded his head over his shoulder, and they began walking down the corridor again. Everything would be alright, he was sure

of that now. His former doubt and worry had been blown away, making way for newfound hope and happiness. She would always make him feel better,

simply by just being there for him. And now, he knew she would always be there for him, not just as his queen and lover.

But as family.

"It's perfect, dear."

Dust was standing in front of a big mirror, looking at his reflection. In it, he could see himself, wearing a suit that they had made just for him to wear at the

wedding. It was black, just the way he liked it, and upon his own request, the jacket had been lengthened down to a little bit beneath his knees. No hood though,

despite the fact that he'd asked for one. But that wouldn't have been fitting for the groom, and Luna managed to talk him out of it. Still, he actually like the suit,

tailored in the finest material money could buy. The jacket had been made from smooth satin, with the inside lined with silk.

"You think?" He answered Luna, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, very handsome." She said back to him. "And I prefer you this way.."

"In a mirror?" Dust replied with a laugh.

Luna smiled and giggled a bit at his words. "No, without a hood.. I want to be able to see your face."

"That's it, send for the mare that made this suit, I want a hood!" Dust answered jokingly, as he took a few steps backwards towards the door, raising his hand

as if to call for someone’s attention.

Luna stopped him by carefully biting down on his hand and pulling him back to the mirror as they both laughed. "You're hopeless." She said between her

teeth.

"Sorry, sweetie, I can't help it." He answered her as she let go off his hand.

In truth, he really couldn't help it. After all, how could someone help being full of happiness at a moment such as this? About to be married to the most

wonderful pony in the world. It was impossible to not feel joy. Although, Dust had always been somewhat of a pessimist, the past weeks since he proposed

had changed him completely. He no longer felt any bitterness or resentment for.. well, anything or anypony, really. No more hate against the ponies that

had shunned him when he first came here, no more guilt over his actions, no fear for what lay ahead of him.

He'd never felt like this before, like his heart had literally grown. Sure, it might be somewhat of a cliché to say, but that really was how he felt. A bigger heart.

Even his looks had been improved, and not just the suit. His hair had been taken care of, and actually looked like hair and not the filthy mess it had turned

into the last month. He'd started shaving his beard more often, and it didn't look like he had a broom glued to his chin anymore.

"You want to see me in my dress?" Luna asked with a smile on her face.

"I wouldn't mind, but, uh.." Dust answered slowly. ".. Back where I come from, it meant bad luck for a groom to see his bride in her dress before the wedding."

Luna looked at him with disappointment. "Oh.. that's too bad.."

"It's fine, I'll just have to wait a little bit longer." Dust answered and gave his soon to be wife a hug. "I'm sure you'll be absolutely stunning walking down

the aisle."

"Thanks.." Luna whispered into his ear.

Dust was about to answer her, but got interrupted by a knock on the door. They tore away from each other, looking towards the doors. "Yes?" They both

answered the knocking in unison.

The doors opened, and a mare carefully entered the room. She looked very old, her coat and mane had almost lost their former color from aging.

".. Princess.." The old mare said as she looked at Luna, but she got quiet as her eyes turned to Dust, seemingly unsure of what to actually call him.

"Dust." He said sensing her hesitation. "Just call me Dust, it's fine."

"Dust, then." Her eyelids looked heavy as she spoke, as if they would shut close any second. "It's, uh.. Something has happened, Princess.."

"Is there something wrong?" Luna asked, her eyebrows lowering into a frown.

"It's.. you sister." The mare answered. "She's.. Just.. You better come with me, both of you."

Dust looked at Luna, and saw her face taking on a worried look. She nodded, and quickly trotted off towards the mare without waiting for Dust. He hurried

after her, he didn't want her to go through this alone. Remembering what Celestia had said a few weeks earlier, he was sure he knew what was about to happen,

or what might have already happened. And as they hurried through the castle towards her chambers, even he himself started to worry. Strange, that somepony

he'd seen as an enemy now felt more as family, and he found himself wishing she would still be alive when they got to her. Mostly for Luna's sake, though.

It was her sister after all, and he had no idea how Luna would react to her passing. No doubt, she would mourn her, but hopefully, she would feel better

eventually.

After what felt only like seconds, they reached Celestia's chambers.

"I'll.. wait outside." The old mare said. "Go on in, you two."

Dust carefully pressed down the handle of the door and pushed it open. He didn't look inside and didn't enter the room, he just held the door open for Luna

to enter. It would be best if she saw her sister first. He then quietly stepped in behind her.

"Sis..?" Luna’s voice seemed to almost echo across the quiet room, yet at the same time, it sounded muffled.

There was no answer, except for a weak whimpering from the bed. Luna hurried across the room towards it, towards her sister. Dust stayed behind by the

door. Even though he wanted to be there for Luna, he felt he would only disturb them in a moment such as this. He saw Luna run around the bed without

tearing her eyes away from Celestia. He couldn't really see her face from his place by the doors, but he could still see her mane.

It looked like dust. Literally, like dust or ashes. Grey, filthy and bleak. It didn't move around like fog like it used to, and the many colors of it had long since

faded. What little he could see of her coat, was nowhere near as white and shining as it used to be. Now, it had adapted a more grey color, the way a dirty

white shirt would look. Her ears slouched as well, and as she raised her head to look at Luna, he got a look at her face.

Horrible, to put it bluntly. She looked like a corpse, her eyes sunken into her skull.

"Luna..?" Even her voice sounded dead. Raspy and old, it reminded Dust of the sound that dead leaves make as they blow across the ground. A whisper.

"I'm here, Tia." Luna answered as she sat herself down next to the bed. "How are you feeling..?"

"I'm far beyond the state of being able to feel anything." Celestia answered. "Look at me. I don't have much time left, there's no denying that."

Dust saw Luna reaching her hoof up to the bed, placing it down on a bump on the covers. Dust guessed it was Celestia's own hoof beneath it.

"Don't say that, sis." Luna whispered, and Dust heard how her voice started to give in. "You'll be fine, I'm sure. You'll be up in no time, and then you'll get

to walk down the aisle next to me on my wedding.."

Dust decided against his own better judgment, and took a few steps towards the bed. As he came closer, Celestia turned her head and looked at him.

He instantly stopped.

".. Dust.." Celestia whispered. "You're.."

"I'm sorry, I'll.. I'll leave, I don't want to bother you.. I'm sure you don't want to see me right now.." He said quickly.

Celestia shook her head slowly at his words. "No, come over here."

Dust obeyed hesitantly, and stopped next to Luna. Once again, guilt started tearing inside him.

The white mare sighed as she turned her gaze back to Luna. "I.. Please forgive me, sister.."

"For what?" Luna asked of her sister.

"I was blind." Celestia answered. "I denied you your happiness. It was wrong of me to treat you like I did.. And you, Dust.." She turned her eyes to him.

"I never hated you, or humans.. I just.. I was afraid. I wanted Luna to be happy, but in my fear of death I failed to understand that you made her happy."

"Don't talk too much." Luna whispered. "You should save your strength."

Another apology was uttered, but this one didn't come from the dying princess. "I.. I'm sorry, too." Dust said as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed.

"I should have tried to gain your acceptance instead of doing.. what I did."

"Forget about it.." Celestia whispered, her voice clearly fading. "You saw me as a tyrant, and I don't blame you for it. All of this is my fault.. This is probably

my last words, and I want you two to know.. I've never hated any of you. I thought that Luna could never find happiness with you, that she needed a real

stallion, not a.. man. But I see now that I was wrong." She coughed slightly as her voice died down.

"Tia, stop it.." Luna said, with tears no falling from her eyes. "We understand, just.. Try to relax, sister."

Dust felt his heart stop as Celestia suddenly moved her foreleg towards him, touching his shoulder and looking him straight into the eyes.

".. Take.. take care of her." She whispered. Dust nodded slowly, and felt something well up in his eyes as well.

Without taking her hoof away from Dust, Celestia turned her head to Luna. "Don't ever forget that I love you, sister."

"I love you too.." Luna said with shaky voice. "Please.. don't.. don't go.."

"I'm sorry." Celestia answered, almost without making a sound. "When I'm gone.. Put me next to Twilight Sparkle. Let me rest together with her."

Luna and Dust both nodded at her final request. A weak smile spread across the white princess face as she looked at the couple.

The hoof resting on Dust's shoulder suddenly slipped off of him, falling down to the bed again with a muffled sound.

"Tia..?" Luna whispered. No answer came. "Sis..?"

Celestia's eyes remained open, staring blankly at them, and the smile on her lips didn't fade. Even though her soul now had passed, it had passed with

at least a bit of happiness following it.

Luna burst into tears over her sister, loud, heartbreaking tears. She let her head fall unto the bed as she cried, her tears staining the bed sheets. Dust tried to

blink away his own tears, but there was no use in trying. He let them fall as he watched Luna cry her heart out. Carefully, he tried putting his hand over

her shoulders.

"Honey.." He whispered. "She's.. she's in a better place now."

Luna stopped sobbing the moment he spoke. She jerked her head to look at him, eyes drenched in tears. And anger.

"And what do you know about that?" She said with a cracked voice. "Nothing!" She shrugged his hand off of her. "Why don't you just leave?"

"Luna, what are you saying.."

"Get out!" She yelled in his face, and pushed her hooves hard against his chest. "This is all your fault!" Without warning, she broke down into even louder

tears, and started punching her hooves at him, hitting his chest and shoulders. "It's your fault, you.. you killed her!" She had become frantic.

"I-Stop it!" He yelled back at her, but she only hit him harder, and pain started to course through his body. He raised his voice at her. "Luna, calm down!"

"Buck you!" She screamed at him. "I hate you!"

Fed up, Dust grabbed both of her hooves, doing his best to hold her back. She tried to shake herself free, but he didn't let go off his grip on her. She

tossed her shoulder back and forth violently in an attempt to get away, and then launched her head towards him. She slammed it hard into his ribs,

and for a second, Dust lost his breath. But she didn't do anything else, she just sobbed into his chest.

He let go of her hooves, and they fell limply down before she wrapped them around him. Her entire body shook and trembled as he slowly embraced her,

but she didn't stop crying. Her tears soaked the shirt of his new suit, but he didn't care about that. He held her closer, and she pressed herself close to

him, sobbing and crying.

Dust let his head fall over hers, half his face buried into her mane, as he himself broke down in tears.

Union of Hearts

The full moon loomed high above Canterlot castle, its pale white light creating long shadows throughout the castle and surrounding town. Despite the fact

that it was past midnight, the castle was still full of life. The throne room had been filled to the brim with ponies, and outside in the courtyard, several late

stragglers awaited their chance to get inside.

The snow had long since melted away, giving way to the green of spring, and the night bathed in the early summer breeze.

Winter wrap up had been one time this year, and a somewhat historical event, as both the princess and Dust had been a part of it.

The royal guards, now dressed in black armor, overlooked the crowds, not letting anypony out of sight. After the passing of Celestia, their armor and weapons

had been redesigned to better suit the princess of the night, and her soon to be husband. The armor had been crafted in a metal so black it almost seemed

to shine of nothing but darkness. The usual blue plume on their helmets had been replaced with red ones, and patterns of stars, moons, dragons and other

mythical creatures adorned the black metal.

A lot of work had been put into making this night just perfect. Hundreds of workers, tailors, cooks, and other various ponies had been hired for the occasion,

along with an increase in guards and overseers, to keep everything in order. Nothing could go wrong this evening, it would be devastating if it did. Everything

had to be perfect, there was no other option, and no middle-ground. Perfect.

A perfect night for their princess.

Dust had never been this nervous in his entire life, as he stood by the aisle, awaiting his bride. The eyes of hundreds of ponies was locked upon him, staring

him down. No doubt, a lot of them saw him as unworthy, a disgrace, but he could care less. To hell with what they thought of him, the only pony who's

opinions mattered tonight was Luna. Thinking of her almost made him break out into a sweat. He just couldn't believe that she would be his wife by the end

of this ceremony.

He cleared his throat a bit, a small shiver going up his back at the same time. His gaze traveled around the room as he anxiously awaited his bride. The tapestries

of Celestias cutie mark had been replaced by dark blue ones, bearing the sign of crescent moons, framed in by a couple of wings.

Decorations and flowers adorned the walls, most of them black roses. Pegasus maids had worked endlessly to hang thousands of roses across the ceiling,

creating a massive tapestry above their heads, hanging a few feet underneath the roof, and between the roses and ceiling hung probably hundreds of lit candles.

The red carpet with golden edges had been removed, and in its place where a blue carpet with black edges, going all the way from the doors up to the throne.

One might have argued that a wedding was supposed to take place in broad daylight, but seeing as Luna was the princess of night, it felt more fitting for

the ceremony to take place during the night instead. The light from the moon shining through the windows, mixed with the golden light from the candles above

them created a shimmering aura around the room.

Looking to his right, Dust met the eyes of the ponies of the court, and he smiled nervously at them. Since both No-Hope and Regelius were no longer

with them, they've had to acquire a couple of new members. One pegasus and one unicorn, and oddly enough, they both shared almost the exact same colors.

White coats and black manes. Maybe they were related somehow, he didn't know, they didn't seem to want to talk about their families. Perhaps in time,

they would both open up.

The ponies in court smiled back at him, and compared to several other ponies who had clearly faked their smiles, these where genuine. Real happiness for

the both of them, and they weren't afraid to show it. As he watched their beaming smiles, he noticed a change in the room. It had gone quiet. No chattering

or loud whispering. Complete silence. And he knew all too well what that meant.

Dust turned his head towards the crowd, and everypony had stopped looking at him, and instead looked down the room at the doors. They had opened,

and through them entered a couple of ponies, both of them dressed in long black cloaks, wielding blue swords, seemingly created from pure magic. For

a moment, Dust almost panicked, as he remembered the mare that had attacked him.. Equinox. And Aurora. The Void Seekers. Had they found him, and

came to kill him and Luna? He reached down his belt to grab his sword, realizing then that he of course did not have it on him. He cursed inside his mind.

He observed the cloaked ponies as they stopped in their track, still with their swords raised. Then, the both parted, stepping off to the sides. As they did,

they crossed the blades, and rays of magic burst out from their tips, swirling around each other, creating a blue vortex. The ponies bowed down before

their own magic.

Only one thought went through Dust's mind at that point: They're going to kill everypony..

Then, a figure materialized within the vortex, and the blades withdrew, leaving it floating in the air. Dust's fear disappeared as he saw Luna in the vortex,

her eyes glowing brightly and her mane shimmering like the stars. As the vortex started to fade, she landed quietly touched down on the carpet, and with

a twist of her head, the vortex disappeared into her horn. The crowd gasped, and so did Dust. Not at her magic performance, but at Luna herself.

She looked even more beautiful than she normally did, if that was even possible. She had her black tiara on, as well as black jewelry around her neck. And

her dress.. Was simple. Nothing but a long, flowing dress made out of silk, in almost the same color as the sky, but somewhat darker. Like her eyes.

And that was it, no over the top patterns or anything similar, just the dress. And in Dust's eyes, that simplicity just made it all the more special.

He felt his body go warm and numb as she started walking down the aisle, followed by the cloaked ponies. To his left, music started playing, and for a moment,

Dust could have sworn it was all just a dream. It was too perfect to be real. But it was real, just as real as her eyes looking at him as she came closer. She

didn't smile, and seemed to look more regal and formal, but her eyes literally beamed out happiness.

His beloved Luna. He would, quite literally, give up the entire world for her.

After what felt like an eternity, yet still not enough time, she came up to him and took her place next to him. She looked at him, and a big smile spread on

her lips. Dust couldn't help but smile back at her, but then he had to quickly turn his face away and bring his hand up to his face. Didn't want her to

see the tears in his eyes. He turned back and looked at her, but he could see instantly that she understood. Her eyes looked a bit watered as well, but she

didn't bother to wipe it away.

"Nice entrance." He whispered.

She laughed quietly, but didn't say anything. Dust followed her example and fell silent. The cloaked ponies took their places amongst the ponies of court.

The music kept on playing as an old stallion entered the room from a door in the corner, and slowly walked up to the couple. Dust didn't recognize him,

but he guessed he was the one supposed to carry out the ceremony.

He didn't look anything like the priest from Earth, then again, that was no surprise. Instead of a bible or something else befitting a priest, the stallion wore

nothing but a pair of glasses shaped like a half moon, as well as a blue tie. He smiled at the couple as he placed himself in front of them.

"So, ready to begin?" He said. Even more surprising, Dust thought he sounded at least twenty years younger than his appearance let on.

They both nodded in unison.

"Very well.." The stallion lowered his voice and looked at Dust. "Don't worry, I'll try to do as you told me. I got to say, weddings from where you come

from are quite different from ours. But we'll skip the rings, yes?" Dust nodded at the stallions question.

And without any delay, the stallion raised his voice, reciting the speech from weddings in the human world to the best of his abilities. Dust looked at Luna,

and for a moment he didn't hear anything that the pony said. He could look at that beautiful face forever. And after just a few more spoken words, he would.

".. until death do you part?" The stallion finished, his eyes fixed on Dust.

Dust snapped out of his almost dreamlike state and tried to apologise as best he could with his eyes. "I do." He said clearly.

As the stallion turned to ask Luna the same question, Dust felt something build up inside of him. It took him a few seconds to realize what it was: fear. An

irrational fear. What if she said no, or didn't answer at all.. His life would be in ruins if she didn't answer..

"Of course." Luna answered the stallion’s question. Dust felt a stone fall from his heart. Silly thing to worry about, really, of course she would say yes.

"Then, by the power invested in me; I hereby proclaim you husband and wife." He smiled at Dust. "You may kiss the bride."

The cheer of the crowd seemed loud enough to blow out the windows, and the sound of stamping hooves could be heard as several ponies reared up and

brought their forelegs down hard unto the floor, cheering at the top of their lungs, as Luna and Dust shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Dust felt himself overwhelmed by it all, the happiness in his heart, the beauty of his wife, and of course, the love spreading from the cheering crowd.

Finally, life would be worth living. They had both made mistakes in their past, and they both regretted it, but now they would have the support and trust of each other. As they kissed, the cloaked ponies once again raised their swords, and the blue vortex appeared, surrounding them in the glow of magic.

They parted, and Dust instantly got an idea. He looked at Luna with a grin, and she looked back with eyebrows raised in wonder. He closed his eyes and

leaned his head backwards. He could feel Luna's body tremble slightly as his own started to shake, and when he opened his eyes, both Luna and the crowd

gasped in awe. Bright beams of red light shot out from his eyes, twisting around themselves and eventually joining with the blue magic in the vortex.

"Our magic has been united." He whispered before he kissed her again. "Just like you and me."

The crowd started cheering once again, and in the corner of his eye, Dust could see a particularly happy pink pony, bouncing around the room like crazy,

seemingly completely euphoric.

Luna had been right, as usual. Despite it all, everypony had grown to love them both.

Just as much as they loved each other.

Epilogue

Friday 17

So.. I'm gonna skip that whole "dear diary" crap, and just dive right in. I've decided to keep a journal of my new life here. It's been about a month since the

wedding now, and things are slowly getting back to normal. I don't think I've ever seen Luna so happy, and I've never been this happy either. Now, we

didn't actually take a honeymoon like people in my world do, we just spent a lot of time in our chambers. A whole lot. I wish my old family could have

seen me now, wife and everything..

Thursday 18

I think I finally understand. What Rarity was telling me, I mean. That talk about me "being controlled". I tried to destroy the Jormundgand today, since I

have no further use for it, and something I've never seen before happened: It attacked me. Or rather, that vision of Luna attacked me. Said she needed me,

that I would be nowhere without her. Then she screamed that she needed my power.

I think the Jormundgand has been using me. Aurora told me it was created to house nothing but pure knowledge, and in a way, one might see that as power.

It wanted me to kill Rarity so that it could absorb her power, and then it wanted more, and made me attack Twilight. It just wanted more and more power,

and used my weakness to get it.

Sunday 23

I can't help but wonder.. what if it manipulated my feelings as well? Maybe it twisted my mind into falling in love with Luna, simply so that it could get to her

and Celestia? Are my feelings for her my own, or just some deeply rooted spell?

Monday 10

It's been a while since I wrote, I've been busy with.. well, ruling, I guess. It takes a lot of work to keep order in a country, that's sure. At least I have Luna

to help me, and she fixes the things I don't. I'm lucky to have her as a wife.

Tuesday 22

A lot has happened since my last entry in this journal. In fact, I had forgotten about it, but I found it today, tucked away in my closet. I can hardly believe

it's been two years since last I wrote. I've.. been busy. Being a father takes away a lot of time. Me and Luna have talked a lot about children, but seeing

as I'm human and she's a pony, it's just not possible. God knows, we've tried. But then it happened. No, it wasn't a mistake or unplanned or something

like that, it was a long procedure that we'd planned for quite some time. All we needed was magic. Strong magic.

I'm not really sure how we did it, but with the help of our new Arch mage,(I believe her name was.. Huh, I guess she never told me her name.) we achieved

something we only thought were possible in dreams. This is gonna sound silly, but bear with me.. Fuck, I'm excusing myself to a book now.. Anyway, we

found a way to transform me for twenty-four hours. I got pretty surprised when I looked myself in the mirror and saw a pony staring back at me.

I had a black coat and blonde mane, with a few red stripes in it, which I suspect might have come from Jormundgand. It was a strange experience, and I'll

admit I did panic a bit at first. But luckily, Luna was there to comfort me. Once my original nervousness had subsided, we decided that it was time to try

out our plan. I think we probably spent every second of those twenty-four hours in bed. We really wanted to succeed.

And we did. I now have a son. We call him Stardust.

Thursday 10

I've come to realize that I probably never actually "saw" Rarity. She said it herself, there is no such thing as ghosts, and I don't think she had anything to

do with Jormundgand.. Maybe it was just me all along? That's what Luna thinks, that my "visions" of Rare was actually my sub-consciousness trying

desperately to cope with what I'd done, basically trying to force me into forgiving myself. Whatever it was, I guess I'll never know.

Saturday 12

Today, little Stardust said his first word, "Mommy". Fuck, it's no big deal, but I don't think I've ever been this proud before. I remember the day he was born.. At first, Luna wanted him to have a completely different name. She wanted to name him after me, but I told her that a pony called Mattias.. Is a bit odd. So we went with Stardust instead.

Monday 20

Stardust is growing fast, and he now speaks fluidly, and has started to ask questions about basicly anything. And every night when I sit by the fireplace,

he wants to sit on my lap and watch the fires dance, while I tell him about life on Earth, or how me and his mother met. He's still wondering why I'm not

a pony, and I've explained it.. vaguely. He's not ready for the talk yet.

Saturday 25

Every day now, little Stardust comes up with new things to do, new ways to try and earn his cutie mark. He really doesn't give up, he's so determined to get

it. Yesterday, Luna found him crawling around in the kitchens inside an empty potato sack. Said he would earn his mark by.. well, being a sack.

That boy has some imagination, that's for sure.

Wednesday 16

Today, Stardust turned 15, and.. he earned his cutie mark! I rarely use exclamation marks, so take good care of it, you.. book. Anyway, it's a bit late for him

to earn it, sure, but he still got it. For his birthday, I had arranged for him to learn a bit about fencing, since he's been nagging about me teaching him that

for a long time now. So, I let him try out a real sword, just against the air, though. And the moment he grabbed it between his teeth.. Two crossed blades

appeared on his flank. I guess he's going to be a swordsman. Or rather, swordspony.

Wednesday 21

We have been thrown into war. Yesterday, griffons attacked the eastern shores, and Manehatten was struck bad. I don't know how many died, hundreds,

maybe more, and I don't think I even want to know.. I'm not built for war.

Tuesday 22

Stardust has grown into a fine young man. Or stallion, I guess. Twenty years feels more like three.. Yet neither Luna nor me looks a day older than what we

did when he was born. I think that, when Jormundgand absorbed all that power, something changed, and once it got Celestias powers, I think I might

have been given some of it. Either I'm immortal or just age very slowly, because I haven't aged a day in all these years.

There's been more attacks from the griffons today, and Stardust actually asked me to let him fight them. He's way too bold for his own good. Too fiery.

Asked me to let him lead an assault against the enemy. I told him that he would lead an assault when Tartarus froze. Of course, he isn't too happy with

me, but I have done nothing wrong. I will not send my only son and heir to his grave.

Monday 26

That little bastard ran away this morning. Left a note saying he was determined to make me and Luna proud, that he would join the battle against the griffons.

Luna's been terrible since we found out, she won't stop crying. I can't stand to see her like this, it makes my heart break..

I just hope he'll realize how horrible war and fighting really is, and come back to us. I pray that Celestia keeps watch over him.

Saturday 31

Stardust is dead.

Tuesday 4

We've won the war. The griffons have been pushed back, and Equestria is once again safe, for now at least. But a heavy price was paid for this victory.

Thousands have died, but when I think of Stardust, those thousands dead feel unimportant. We will probably never find his body. Luna won't stop crying.

Don't care which date it is.

This will be my last entry. After this, I will leave this journal in my study. I had been out in town for a walk earlier this morning. I think winter is on its way,

I can feel it on the wind. When I came back home, something felt wrong the moment I stepped inside. I called out for my wife, but she didn't answer.

Upon entering our bedchambers, I found her. She was on the bed, with this journal beside her. She must have read it, and found out about what I've

done. About Twilight and No-Hope.

I don't know how she did it, but she did. Luna, my beloved wife and soulmate, is gone. The knowledge of my actions must have been too much for her.

But it doesn't matter, I'm about to join her. She's actually here in the room with me now, and she's waiting. Rarity's here too, and Stardust. Even Celestia.

They all want me to join them, and I will soon.

"Was it all worth it?" I ask myself as I look down on the lifeless body in front of me. Will I ever be forgiven for this sin?

The figure on the ground before me looks so peaceful, as if it's sleeping.

Will I ever forgive myself?

My god, what a beautiful creature I have ruined..

It's all my fault..

Right now, I feel like Major Tom. Every string to my life has been cut, and I'm about to drift off into the unknown.

Tell my wife I love her very much

She knows

I've had a good life. And now, I think it's time for me to finaly rest. Together with me sweetheart, my dearest Luna.

Farewell.

Prelude to a Nightmare

"So... What happened last night?"

The guard sighed. This was the third time today his buddy asked about it. He turned his head to the right, looking at the other guard, standing just a few meters away, on the other side of the castle gate. He was staring back at him with a rather fake-looking questionable expression on his face.

"Look, I told you man, nothing happened. I met her at her place, took her to dinner, pretended to laugh at her jokes and acted like I cared about her. But nothing."

"Come on, you’re not telling the truth, I know it!" his friend lashed back.

In truth, he did know. They've known each other basically all their life, and they had always been close friends. They knew things about each other that they wouldn't even tell their wives, assuming of course, they ever found any. So, trying to hold any information from the other pony would always end up the same way.

"Fine... Still, it's no big deal. A hug and that's it. But, uh...”

The other guard looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"..I think she felt me up a bit."

They both smirked, nodding at almost the exact same time, same speed

"Think you'll meet her again?"

"Doubt it. When I tried to answer her groping by doing the same thing, she just pushed me off and slapped me in the face."

"Ouch." He cringed.

"Yeah. If I wasn't wearing this helmet you wouldn't even see my face, just a big, red hoof-print."

They laughed again.

Everything was quiet in town today, as usual. At least here by the gate. Nopony had come by yet, or left the castle. It was a rather boring posting, in fact, and they both oftentimes wondered what the point of it was. They could leave the gate unguarded for as long as they wished, since nopony was foolish enough to try and storm the castle through the main gate.

But their opinions didn't matter; Celestia’s word was the law, after all.

They had been standing in silence for quite some time when one of them spoke up, breaking the silence once again. Slowly leaning to his left, as to whisper something serious to the other.

"But she did have a nice flank."

Again, they both chuckled. But then, they were both taken aback by an odd sight. They stopped laughing, closing their mouths shut quickly as a strange figure made its way to the gate. They watched in confusion at the strange creature, having never seen anything like it before.

It was walking upright on its hind-legs, its forelegs hanging somewhat limp down its sides. Even more strange was its hooves, or rather, the lack of them. Instead, at the end of the forelegs where strange looking... lumps. With what look like a number of small branches stuck to them.

On its hind-legs where strange-looking footwear, unlike any horse-shoes they've ever seen. Black, slightly shiny with lacing.

They exchanged puzzled looks. Even its clothing was odd, covering its entire body. A tight cloak with arms covered most of it, and underneath it they saw what looked like muscles, only they didn't look like any muscles they've even seen. The cloak itself was adorned with what looked like rings in some sort of metal, one on each shoulder.

The arms where covered in belt buckles and the hemline of the cloak hade more lacing.

When the figure came closer they could see that it in fact wasn't muscles at all, but some sort of shirt with an extra layer of fabric, depicting the pattern of muscles. It also had some fabric covering its entire hind-legs and flank, everything black. To top it all off, a big hood hiding most of its face.

They stood frozen in their place, not knowing what to say or even how to react to this strange creature. One by one they opened their mouths to say something, but decided not to and closed it again. A pressing silence surrounded the ponies and the creature, and nothing seemed to be able to break it.

"Good afternoon, 'gents, hard at work feeding the birds I see."

After a moment of complete bafflement, the two guards realized what the creature had said to them, and quickly closed their hanging jaws, one of them trying to laugh at the obvious joke, but all he managed where some uncertain snorting sounds. The creature spoke up once again.

"I come seeking an audience with the princess. Or princesses, as it is."

It was the voice of a stallion, yet surprisingly not that deep. It sounded much younger than the appearance of the creature let on. There was something about that voice. Something very calming, relaxing. Although the two ponies didn't recognize the accent, the voice nevertheless instilled them with a sense of tranquility. Not awaiting a response, the creature calmly stepped past the guards through the gate, slightly patting one of them on the head when passing, and then disappearing out of their sight.

"Dude." The pony that had been touched spoke up. "What... The... Buck..?"

The big, oak doors of the throne room flung open, and two guards galloped inside, panting and wheezing. Luna observed them from her seat in the throne, but not saying anything. She thought it best to wait in order to let the guards get their breath back. Neither of them said anything, only tried to close the doors quickly, seeming somewhat frantic in their attempts, one of them tripping forward, tumbling face-down into the floor.

The other rushed to his aid, doing his best to both help his friend up and closing the doors at the same time. If it wasn't for their terrified expressions, Luna would have thought it all quite amusing, seeing them scurry around like crazy. The two guards jumped high when Luna spoke, in the Royal Canterlot voice, of course.

"Why art thou acting in this peculiar manner, loyal guards?"

One of the guards turned around to look at Luna, trying to apologize but stuttering hard, and sounding more like a complete idiot, rather than the loyal guard she called them. When he finally calmed down and managed to speak properly, he was instead interrupted mid-sentence by a loud knocking on the doors. Both guards froze in their place.

Luna felt a chill going down her back at this, something sure wasn't right, the guards where strong and able stallions, and seeing them act this terrified worried her. Whatever was on the other side of those doors, it scared the guards out of their minds. She arose from her seat, hastily trotting down towards them, but they cried out to her to stay back. She stopped in her tracks, observing the door with a mixture of worry and curiousness. She wanted to know who or what was behind those doors, as much as she dreaded to find out.

And then, the doors slowly opened.

The guards quickly moved into the small space that had been created between the doors, and Luna couldn't see past them. The guards where talking rather harshly with someone on the other side, but she couldn't hear any answers over the two ponies booming voices.

"You can't come in here; we don't even know what the buck you are! So would you please turn around and leave, or do we have to use force?"

The guards talked endlessly, blabbering over each other, completely drowning out all other sounds or voices. Finally, Luna couldn't take it anymore.

"Guards, let this unknown stranger enter, and make sure that this pony knows naught harm will come to it!"

The voices died down as the guards obeyed, slowly backing up and letting the stranger open the doors completely. In the doorframe stood a tall figure, upright on its hind legs, completely cloaked in black.

Slowly the stranger walked into the room, its feet making muffled sounds against the red carpet.

The guard to his left looked anxious, looking back and forth between Luna and the stranger. He took one last glance at Luna, before looking straight at the stranger, inhaled, and opened his mouth.

"Forgive me for asking, sir, but just what are you? I don't know about you-" he glanced at the other guard. "-But I don't feel too comfortable letting someone such as you see our princess-"

He was cut of abruptly by the stranger’s hand gently pressing over his snout. The guard stood his ground, looking this stranger straight in the eyes, but inside he was trembling, wanting to run away like a scared little filly. Hide behind his beloved princess.

"Oh, be silent. Luna knows perfectly well what I am."

The stranger removed his hand from the guards face, then turning around, looking at Luna. He took a calm step towards her, not breaking eye contact with her. Luna stared back at him cautiously, fully aware of what he was, but still confused as to why he was here in the first place. He stopped in front of her, and with a dramatic wave of his cloak he kneeled before her, bowing his head, placing his hand over his heart. His cloak spread out on the floor behind him, it looked as if shadows where emanating away from him.

"I apologize if I have troubled you and your people, my dear princess." He raised his head, looking back up at Luna. "I assure you, it was not my intentions to do so."

Those eyes. Greenish-grey, partly hidden behind a dark-blonde ridge of hair. A beard and mustache of the same color covered the man’s chin. Luna couldn't tear her eyes from him. There was something about this man, something trying to draw her in. Those eyes. And his voice, sounding like silk through her ears. For a moment, she stared blankly into those eyes, not realizing she was doing so. But as he blinked his eyes, and stood up again, standing a bit higher than her face, she snapped out of it.

"What is it you want, human?" Luna hesitated before speaking, doing her best to not use the Royal voice. After all, screaming like that in his face wouldn't be too kind, and she had no desire to scare this strange man away. The man chuckled heartily, turning around and looking at the guard who had asked him what he was just a few moments ago.

"See, I told you she'd know." he said to the confused guard, pointing a finger back at Luna.

He stepped towards her again, stopping mere inches from her face. Once again, Luna felt something pulling her in, towards those damned eyes, and for a moment, she thought she actually was getting drawn in, since the man’s face slowly came closer, but it was in fact the man himself getting closer, not her. Leaning closer to her, his mouth only a few centimeters from hers, he whispered into her ear. Calm. Soothing.

"What I am about to tell you is incredibly important, Luna, and best shared between four eyes. I'm sure you'll understand."

Luna nodded slowly, then managed to take her gaze of his eyes, and walked around him. She trotted up to the guards, and calmly asked them both to leave.

"But, princess...” They both said in unison, worried expressions on their faces.

Luna smiled encouraging at them.

"I have nothing to fear from this man, I'm sure. So please, wait outside for a while, I promise everything is fine."

The guards kept arguing against her a while, seemingly determined to not move an inch. Only after having used the Royal voice, Luna finally got them to leave. One of them walked slightly wobbly, holding his head in pain. Just before the doors closed behind them, Luna could hear him saying that the darn helmet amplified her voice.

Luna sighed quietly. She really did not enjoy screaming ponies in the face like that. Not at all. She found herself wishing her sister was there, she at least had more power and more respect from the guards, and they would listen to her without a word in protest. Sadly, Luna would probably never gain that same respect. She would always be the Sister, nothing more.

She spun around towards the man, but he was no longer standing where she left him. Instead, she saw him on the opposite side of the room, sitting in a relaxed pose in her sister’s throne. Slouched down in the throne, one leg laying limp, stretched out in front of him, the other bent, with his elbow resting against the knee. To complete the image of someone in deep thought, his chin rested on his knuckles, and he was looking off to his right, seemingly out the window.

"Comfortable?" Luna raised her voice to be heard across the room, walking towards the throne as she spoke.

The man turned his head from the window and looked at her, smiling.

"Yes... I truly do envy your sister, you know." His voice had changed. It didn't sound quite as regal and formal is it did earlier, but it was still so soothing and calming. Luna raised her eyebrows in wonder. What he had said really didn't affect her, more so than the fact that he didn't seem to care that he was so rudely occupying her sister’s throne.

"You do realize that my sister would not like you sitting there, right? You'd probably be thrown out of the castle before you could beg for forgiveness." Luna said with a cold tone to the man. He simply nodded at her words, but made no intensions to move.

"Speaking of which, where is your sister anyway, Luna? I had thought she would be here by your side."

"She's in Ponyville; there have been some troubles there as of late." The man looked at her with a wondering expression. "Some ponies have gone missing, it seems... Tia has made it her personal responsibility to find them."

Why did she call her Tia? Luna stood confused by herself for a moment. She never called her that when somepony else heard, much less a stranger. Was this man’s voice, or eyes or whatever the hay it was, so soothing that she forgot about the formalities?

"You're worried about them, aren't you, Luna?" The man answered in a low voice. Luna simply nodded to answer his question, having now reached the throne. She sat down on her haunches in front of him. The man changed his position, drawing in his stretched leg, leaning forward and resting both his elbows on his knees. He opened his mouth to say something, but Luna beat him to it.

"You keep calling me by name, yet you haven't told me yours."

The man wiped his smile, lowered his head, staring at his feet. The guards had been confused as to what he was wearing on his feet, but Luna saw instantly that they were simple leather-boots, something she knew humans wore, but she had never actually seen any before.

She had never seen a human either, in fact.

"Forgive me," the man said without raising his head. "You may call me Dust."

"Dust?" replied Luna,”That’s a rather odd name. For a human, I mean."

The man named Dust sighed loudly, raising his head and looking straight at her. Something about his eyes had changed as well. They no longer gave away that hypnotizing feel, but rather... Sadness.

"That is my name, for that is what I am." The man whispered.

Luna felt unsure of what to answer. Her eyes wandered over his arms and hands, and she felt a sudden urge to take his hand in her hooves, comfort him, and drive away that strange sadness that now haunted his eyes. But she didn't do anything.

"Well then, Dust. Would you be so kind to move out of my sister’s throne?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Certainly, my princess." the man spoke, nimbly getting up from his seat, and walking off a few steps to Luna’s left, allowing her to sit down.

She took her seat in the throne, and Dust walked back, standing in front of her. His eyes wandered all over her, finally coming to a stop at her cutie mark. The man looked at it intensely. Looking back up at Luna’s face, he realized she'd seen what he'd been staring at, he quickly turned away his face, mumbled some apologies.

"No need to apologize, sir" said Luna, now sounding a bit more formal in her tone. "I take no offense."

Dust nodded in response, but seemed to tense up a bit. He crossed his arms over his chest and started to walk off to the left, past Luna and over to the window. Then, he paced back the same way, continuing on to the window on the right side. Luna observed him in silence, afraid to break his pacing. He stopped there by the window, raised one hand up to his face. She couldn't see what he was doing due to his hood, but he then turned around, stroking his beard with his thumb and forefinger.

He stood silent for a few moments, before letting his arms fall limp by his sides again. Slowly he walked back up to Luna. She cleared her throat.

"Earlier you said you had something important to tell me. What was it?" She asked him, once again looking straight into his eyes. No sadness. Determination.

Dust didn't answer right away; he simply kept on walking slowly up the stairs towards her. Again, he stopped right in front of her, but closer this time. He frowned, and spoke up.

"It's quite simple, dear Luna...” Luna flinched at the word "dear".

"Well, if it's so simple, then please tell me, Dust." Luna hurried to reply. If it indeed was as simple as he said, then this all might have been a waste of her time. Sure, she had all the time she wanted, literally, but she still did not like to be kept waiting like this.

"I came here-" the man said, clearing his throat, "-for you."

Luna sat silent. Did he really just say that? She had no idea how to react to this, no idea what he meant. She went over his words in her head, trying to understand, but where unable to. Usually, she probably would have understood, but now she was taken by such surprise by his words that her brain felt like it shut down.

"What are you talk-"

She was interrupted mid-sentence. Before she realized what had happened, Dust had leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

For a short moment, Luna didn't think. She felt lost in this. At first, she felt shocked, embarrassed, even harassed. But after a quarter of a second everything changed. Slowly, a sudden urge grew in her, and she wanted to give in, wanted to answer his sudden kiss. The warmth of his breath blew over her, sending shivers down her spine. His beard tickled her face. Luna felt a jolt of anticipation as she felt his hand touching the side of her face. She closed her eyes, raised her hooves, about to grab him.

She wanted to feel his body close, wanted to hold him and not let go. She didn't care that he was human, didn't care she didn't even know him. She didn't want to be lonely anymore. She wanted him.

But then, she came to her senses.

Realizing what was happening, she quickly tore herself away from him, shocked at what had just transpired.

Dust looked at her with worry in his eyes, but also confusion, his eyes once again piercing through her, trying to draw her in. Luna looked past him, down at the wooden doors. But all she could see where his greenish-gray eyes.

"Guards!" She yelled loudly.

Those bucking eyes.

Being the only human in all of Equestria wasn't easy. Most of the ponies he met where either afraid of him or down-right despised him. In the early days, he actually tried to befriend them, tried to show them that he was no different from them, but every attempt ended in failure.

They were disgusted by him. Simple as that.

Nowadays, he didn't care anymore. He didn't care about these stuck-up ponies; he just wanted to be alone. He had lived practically everywhere, from Manehatten to Appleloosa, but every place was the same. Now, he lived outside Canterlot, in a small cottage he built himself, because... what else was there to do?

The ponies of Canterlot where probably the worst, most despicable lot he'd ever met. Whenever he entered town to get something he needed that he couldn't get himself out in the wild, he almost instantly got bombarded with insults. Although, luckily for him, there was one pony who didn't treat him like shit.

He met her after a particularly nasty encounter with the townspeople. Sitting on a bench with torn clothing and covered in filth, he was surprised when a bright white unicorn slowly trotted up to him. Her purple mane clashed beautifully with her white coat. She took one glance at his filthy clothes, looking disgusted, and against her better judgment she had offered him help.

Since then, Dust and Rarity had been close friends, but Rarity insisted on keeping it a secret, she had no desire to be seen with "low-life", such as Dust. But nevertheless, they spent a lot of time together. She had made him some new sets of clothes, completely free, even helped him with his cottage.

Magic was a welcome addition when building and the cottage stood finished after some time of building. And then, Rarity had of course spent the night with him. All night they had stayed up, drinking and laughing at nothing. Dust had been surprised at how much Rarity acted like a guy when drunk.

He had never thought he would gain such a good friend, and in Canterlot to top it all off.

But that was some time ago. Dust honestly didn't remember how long it'd been. Just like he no longer remembered how the hell he even got to Equestria in the first place. He had deliberately repressed those memories, since they wouldn't do him any good anyway.

Dust sighed. From his seat on a small bench in one of the towns many squares, he observed the ponies and their everyday-life. Nothing spectacular, really, but it was all he had now.

Rarity was gone. Long gone. His only friend, his only source of happiness and comfort in this world, had forgotten him. He longed to see her face again, just for a second, but it was too late for that. He, singlehandedly, had destroyed the friendship they’ve worked so hard to build.

Dust got up to walk back home, his mind clouded with thoughts of his lost friend. Because of this, he never heard or saw the carriage approaching in the air.

Three knocks reached his ears. Three very quiet, gentle knocks, almost completely silent, but he had grown so accustomed to hearing it that he never missed it. Dust got up from his seat in the couch, moving towards the door. On his way he passed the fireplace, and he quickly reached down and threw another log in the fire.

Despite it being bright, colorful and warm during the day, Equestrian nights where the coldest nights he'd ever experienced. The fireplace had been useful, even though he didn't want one to begin with. He had a stove to cook his food, and to him that and some blankets where enough. But Rarity had still convinced him to build the fireplace, and he was glad she did.

Dust made his way to the front door in a hurry, griped the handle and opened it. Outside Rarity’s bright mane and equally bright smile met him.

"Finally, I thought you'd never open, darlin!" she laughed, trying her best to fake being hurt. Of course, she failed.

Dust answered her facial expression with a laugh of his own, and a joke about not wanting to let her in at all, stepping aside to let the unicorn enter. Smirking, he added that she really drew him nuts.

They both shared a laugh at this and met in a short embrace, as usual. The rest of the evening they spent as they always did, sharing a meal, laughing, talking and bickering about everything imaginable.

A few hours later they both lay half-asleep in front of the fading fireplace; Dust slouching in the recliner to the left of the fire and Rarity snoozing lightly from her place in the couch, her white coat stood out clearly from the red color of the couch.

"Rare? You awake?" Dust's voice carried through the silence, accompanied only by the crackling from the fireplace.

".. Yeah." came her answer, a little bit louder than Dust's whispering voice. She raised her head from the couch and looked at him, but not saying anything else.

".. Can we talk a little?" Dust asked, still whispering. He wasn't sure how the unicorn would react, so he kept his voice down.

"Sure! About what, fashion?" Rarity said smiling, but Dust clearly heard some worry behind her words.

Dust shook his head in silence, and slowly got up from his seat. He walked over to the couch and sat down hard next to Rarity, who flew of the cushions and down onto the floor as Dust's heavy weight came down on the other side of the couch.

He quickly got up again, apologizing as he helped Rarity back up on the couch. She sat down next to him, wiping her mane out of her eyes with a hoof. She looked at Dust with more worry in her face than before, having realized something really troubled him.

"Dust... what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before...”

Dust didn't answer; he just stared at the fireplace in front of them, the flames mirrored in his eyes. For a moment, Rarity thought that the flames didn't come from the open fire, but rather from inside Dust. Burning through his eyes. She felt a slight chill up her back.

".. Nothing's wrong, It's just... I've been thinking a lot lately. About my time here in Equestria, how everypony's treated me since I got here. And also about us. About you and me."

Rarity sat quiet, not wanting to interrupt him. Instead, she scooted closer to him.

"I don't understand... I've always thought you ponies where supposed to be friendly people. Erm, ponies. Caring about everyone, spreading love and happiness treat others kindly and what-not."

Rarity placed a comforting foreleg around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"But ever since I got here, ponies have been treating me like shit. Like a disgusting maggot not even worthy of looking at. Why, Rarity? How can they act like that?"

His eyes started to well up. Rarity quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him close. She never knew Dust was this sensitive. She thought he didn't care about what other ponies said about him, that he just shrugged it off. Apparently he didn't. And she never believed he would think about her.

He buried his face in her mane, and soon she felt tears dripping down her shoulders. Her coat and mane where the two most important things in her life, sure, but right now, they didn't matter at all. She never really understood just how much Dust meant to her, how much she cared about him. Maybe even more so than herself. Her eyes started to tear up.

They sat there quietly for a while, holding each other, crying. Until eventually, Rarity couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand seeing him cry like this. Every tear that fell from his eyes were like a string tugging at her heart.

"Dust... You said you've been thinking about us..?" She asked cautiously, trying to change the subject, get him to think about something else and perhaps stop crying. She couldn't bear it anymore.

Dust raised his head from her shoulder, and moved away from her, without letting her go. He looked into her big eyes, and wiped the tears out of his own.

".. Why did you come up to me? When we met, I mean... Why did you help me?"

"Why, because your clothes looked horrible, dear!" She smiled back at him, trying to ease the tension.

"Rare, please. I'm being serious." Dust answered.

Rarity went back to their first meeting in her mind, trying to remember what she felt that day. He had looked so helpless and lonely sitting there, covered in mud and... No. That wasn't it. In truth, she knew why she approached him, but... She had been afraid to admit it to herself. She felt drawn to him. She wanted to sit next to him, to learn everything about him.

She couldn't explain why, there was just... something. Something about him that she loved. And now she finally accepted it.

"Because...” She began, tears welling up again as she stared into Dust's sad face.

".. I love you."

Dust watched her in silence. The fire had burnt down, leaving them in almost complete darkness. He didn't know what to say. When he didn't answer, Rarity continued.

"I guess I always have. Ever since that day I first saw you."

"But...” Dust whispered, "I'm human... and you’re a pony."

"That never mattered to me; it only made you more interesting. I...” She hesitated, unsure if she should continue. Instead, she leaned closer to him, looking into his eyes.

".. I... I want you." she whispered, kissing him before he could answer. And at that moment, Dust didn't care to answer. Slowly, he let himself sink into her arms, kissing her back, losing himself in passion for what felt like hours.

But then he broke the kiss. He got up from the couch, turned to look at Rarity before he put his hands around his head.

"This... This isn't right...” He stuttered, fighting a cultural battle inside his head.

"Don’t you want me..?" Rarity said with a seductive voice, batting her eyelashes at him through the dark, even though Dust couldn't see it.

"I... I do, but.. My god, woman, you’re a pony! And I'm a human! How do you suppose that would work, Rare?"

"It doesn't matter, we can work it out somehow, I promise... Please, come back here." Rarity whispered.

Dust paced back and forth through the shadows, rubbing his temples to try and calm down. She was beautiful, yes, and he did want her, but at the same time he didn't want to lose his only friend. Did he love her? As a friend, yes, but more than that? He wasn't sure. He couldn't turn her down, that might completely ruin their friendship, but at the same time he wasn't ready to go any further.

His brain felt like it was about to explode by all questions and thoughts. Rarity sat quiet in the darkness, listening to his footsteps against the wooden floor as he paced around. Then finally, Dust stopped by the window behind the recliner, having made up his mind.

"Rare, I... I love you too. But it just won't work. You know it won't. I don’t' want to hurt you; I want you to be happy. And with me, you wouldn't be. You would become an outcast, just like me. So I'm sorry... But... I-I think it's best if you leave."

Rarity didn’t answer. Dust heard her getting out of the couch and walking up to him. She carefully nuzzled his lower arm, before softly kissing his hand. He wanted to bend down and pick her up, wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her again, but he knew he couldn't.

Instead, he gently put his hand round the side of her neck, and together they went to the door. Dust opened it, and Rarity hesitantly stepped outside.

Even though she didn't want to leave, Dust was right. It wouldn't work, and she knew it all too well. She spun around and looked at Dust, standing in the dark doorway.

"I guess... This is goodbye, right?" He said quietly, smiling sadly.

Rarity nodded slowly, but then stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around him. Dust wrapped his arms around her, and they shared one last kiss.

"You know, your bedroom isn't far-" Rarity whispered in his ear. Dust chuckled at her, but shook his head.

"Goodnight, Rarity." he said, giving her one last kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too darlin'." Rarity whispered, smiling at him. Slowly she turned around and started trotting away. Every now and then she turned around and waved, and Dust waved back at her. Eventually, she was gone.

"I'm so sorry, Rare...”

And that was it. The last time he saw the white unicorn. The last time he said goodbye to his only friend. Everything ruined, a perfect friendship down the drain, because of too strong feelings.

"Ey, look out!"

Dust was pulled out of his memories by a voice calling out nearby. He looked around, and saw a rather big pony with red coat and blonde mane looking at him with fear in his eyes.

"Behind ya!" The pony yelled, and Dust quickly spun around.

Before he even had time to react, the carriage approaching from the air went straight at him, but managing to lean up in the last second. The stallions pulling it flew right above his head, and Dust only had time to think that it was a close call, before the bottom of the carriage hit him straight in the head and he tumbled hard into the cobblestone street.

.. Oh my...

.. Is he all right...

.. His head...

.. Carriage...

.. Can’t look...

.. Tia...

.. Wake up, ye hear...

.. do somethi...

.. so... uch... ood...

.. Tia!

The moment Dust regained consciousness, his entire world exploded in pain. He couldn't feel his body anymore, due to the pain that had amassed in his head. He wanted to scream in agony, but his lips refused to obey him. He tried to move anything, but to no avail. The pain was so strong, it would be impossible to describe it, and his mind was too clouded to even think. He just wanted to die. So that the pain would go away.

Voices could be heard all around him, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying.

Finally, he managed to move his head a bit to the right. But when he did, the pain hit him like a brick wall, and he let out a quiet whimper of pain. Then he felt his thoughts drifting away. Fading, as they slowly leaked out of his head. He heard a frightened yell, and then something smooth as silk touched his head, and his thoughts stopped moving.

He managed to open his eyes, painfully slow. His blurry vision was filled with something blue. At first, he thought he was looking at heaven. The blue skies welcoming him into eternal rest. But then, everything moved. The blue skies lifted up and disappeared, before he felt another touch at the back of his head. And then the blue appeared again. And now, Dust could see that it wasn't the sky or the heavens, it was in fact a hoof.

A dark-blue hoof, standing only a few inches from his face.

Straining himself to the max, Dust groaned and rolled around on his back. He wanted to know who was standing there, who was helping him. Needed to know the pony who probably saved his life.

He looked up into the cloudy sky, and all he could see was a blurry form of a creature. The sun in the sky shone straight down on the figure, making it almost impossible to make out any features. Except the blue color, of course. Dust blinked, and slowly his vision started to become clearer, he could focus, and what he saw... couldn't be described.

He saw wings, stretched out around him, shielding him, and a strange-looking head. Above the head hovered some sort of gleam, seemingly magic.

An angel.

It had to be. An angel with blue wings and a blue halo. So it was true. He was already dead, and this angel had come to carry him off to heaven. He mustered his last strength, and lifted his arms towards it, stretching out his fingers and trying to grab hold of it. He was ready. Ready to embrace the silence and peace of eternity.

The angel looked down on him as his fingers clamped around its wing. It made no intention of flying off with him, or trying to get out of his grip; it simply widened its eyes and gasped, then quickly turned its head to the left.

"Celestia, he's alive!" The angel yelled.

Dust could hear hurried steps, clacking against the cobblestone street, getting closer. His grip on the wing tightened as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Are... are you...” He whispered, but the angel hushed him, told him to stay calm and breathe slowly.

Another figure appeared this one on his left. Another angel, in purest white, gleaming like snow in the sun. The white angel spoke to the blue, but Dust couldn't make out the words. The sound was fading.

His vision blurred once again. His grip on the wing slipped, and his hands fell to the ground, but he neither heard nor felt the impact.

The blue angel looked down on him; he could see fear in its eyes as it reached down at him, grabbing him, yelling something in his face.

The rest, is silence.

Hidden agendas

"Why do you hate him so much?"

Regelius voice travelled through the quiet room from his place by the window. He always placed himself by windows, no matter if it was during the day

or night. He simply found it a good way to remind himself as often as he could.

"Why do you love him so much?"

The princess angered voice spat back at him from across the room. While Regelius sounded calm and at ease, Celestia herself was at the verge of using her

royal Canterlot voice. Again. Right now, she felt like yelling straight into the stallions face until that monocle got pushed so deep into his eyesocket it came

out on the other side of his head.

None of them answered the other ones question. Ever since the argument they've had about Lunas return earlier, their friendship had been strained.

Regelius wasn't sure how to feel about this. On one hoof, he had his loyalty to both of the sisters, and on the other, his more personal bond to Celestia.

Even though he wanted Luna to be happy, he didn't want to let Celestia down, and no matter what he did in this matter, one of them would feel betrayed.

"Celestia.." He began. "Do you see my acts as treason?"

Finaly, the princess looked at him. She turned her head around to her left, staring him down with fire in her eyes. And something that Regelius could have

sworn was sadness. But she didn't say anything. Maybe she thought her look would speak louder than words. Regelius looked back at her, his purple

eyes trying to pierce into her mind, to understand her. They looked at each other for a long while, none of them wanting to be the first one to give in.

"Look at me." Regelius said without breaking eyecontact with her. "Do I look like a traitor to you? I'm probably the most loyal pony in all of your court,

princess. Do you really believe I would betray you? After what I confessed to you earlier today?"

Still no answer. Only fiery eyes.

"Then explain why you where protecting them like you did."

Celestia spoke in a cold voice, no trace of emotions, sad or otherwise. Completely indifferent.

"Explain to me why you would defend a traitor to the crown. Explain to me why you would defend death himself."

"I don't support anything Dust has said or done." Regelius replied. "But I stand behind Luna in her decision."

"So you support treason." Celestia countered back at him.

"I support love and understanding. Maybe you should try to remember what those words once meant to you."

Celestias eyes narrowed at his words. She got up from her seat next to the fireplace, and started walking towards Regelius, her head lowered in what almost

looked like an attack-stance. Her eyes narrowed even more as she approached him, and they turned into nothing more than lines across her face. Lines

with fire.

"What.. did you just say?" She hissed.

Regelius didn't move an inch. The princess sudden threatening behavior didn't seem to bother him at all, as he simply kept on staring her down with

determined eyes.

"Perhaps you should think about your past. You've always believed in love, friendship and equality. But now, you're just.."

"I'm just.. what?" Celestia whispered as she stopped just a few feet away from Regelius.

"You're.." Regelius hesitated. "You're.. Nothing. Forget I said it."

Suddenly, Celestia yelled in anger, and pressed her face hard against Regelius, their eyes mere centimeter away from each other. For a moment, Regelius

had time to think that the fire in her eyes probably reflected in his own.

"I'm just what?!" The princess yelled in his face, a few drops of saliva flying out of her mouth as she did.

Regelius wanted to answer, but he was unnable to. He wasn't afraid of her, he had no reason to defend his actions or words. Yet his tounge remained silent

behind his teeth. So much for that piece of silver. After a few seconds, Celestia withdrew her head angrily without saying another word. She turned away

from him, and Regelius could see.. her body was shaking.

"I-I'm sorry, Celes.."

Regelius words were cut short as she turned around once again, raising one of her hooves into the air as she did. Her leg shook as she stared him down.

It took the stallions brain a few seconds to register what was happening, but once he understood, he did nothing. He didn't recoil, raise his hooves to shield

himself, not even blinking his eyes.

"Go ahead." He sighed. "Strike me down. If that is my princess choice, then I must deserve it."

Celestias hoof shook harder. She raised it higher in order to gain more power behind her blow. Regelius finaly stopped staring at her, and closed his eyes.

Waiting for the impact. The pain. The pain from knowing his once beloved princess had been reduced to.. to nothing.

"Think of Twilight." He said in a calm voice. "She adores you, worships you. Think of her as you bring your hoof down on me."

A couple of seconds passed. A few more. Half a minute. Nothing happened. A minute of silence.

Regelius opened his eyes again.

He expected to see Celestia still standing in front of him, but she was no longer there. Then he saw her, on the other side of the room. With her back

against him, she looked as if she was peering into the big mirror in front of her. Regelius could see his own, tiny reflection in the glass. Slowly, he took a

few steps towards her. As he came closer, the stallion could see her face in the mirror. And what he saw.. did not look like the Celestia he knew.

Her eyes turned slightly to the left to look at Regelius through the mirror.

"Tell me, Reg.." Her voice quivered as she spoke. "What do you see?"

"You know what I see in you." Regelius answered carefully. "Like I told you earlier.."

"No, not what you see in ME. What do you see in the mirror?"

Regelius scanned the glass, almost expecting to see something odd, something out of the ordinary. But all he could see was himself and the princess.

"I see a couple of ponies." He said in response. "One of them is in pain right now. Remorse and pain over lost feelings."

Celestia frowned at his words. In that small movement, her face looked much older, frail as frost on fallen leaves.

"Am I really that easy to see through?" Celestia said quietly. "Yes, you're right."

"I wasn't talking about you, princess." Regelius replied, drawing a small smile across his lips as he did so.

The stallion didn't evolve his words any deeper, and the alicorn didn't ask him about it. For a while, they both sat down in silence, observing their reflection.

Celestia seemed to have calmed down, and her body had stopped it's shaking, but she still did not look well.

"Regelius?" Her voice broke the complete silence as she uttered his name.

The stallion looked at her, the real her, not the reflection. His eyebrows raised in question.

"I'm dying."

Regelius monocle hit the floor with a clank.

A few days had passed since Dust awoke in Lunas bedchambers, and still neither he nor Luna had been able to leave the room. Guards where posted outside

the doors, and for the last two days, inside the room as well. They kept strict watch over everything the did, said, even what food they recieved twice

a day. Despite the lingering pain in the humans body, and the everwatching eyes of the armored stallions, Dust didn't complain. He got to spend all his

time with his wonderful mare, and just beeing in her presence made him feel better. She took care of him the best she could, obeying his every wish.

Helping him eat and drink, getting dressed, even using the bathroom alone was impossible without her support when he tried to walk. Even thoug Dust

at first felt both quitly and pathetic over beeing nursed like this, he eventually found himself quite at ease with it. He no longer felt like some stupid

little kid needing his mothers help al the time, or an old man waiting to die while shitting himself. Oftentimes, Luna would lay down in bed next to him

and just hold him close.

The guards objected if she got too close, but otherwise seemed not to mind. Although, they had actually left the room once, for about an hour.

It had been the day before, as Dust and Luna where making time pass by playing games. Childish really, but they still had fun trying to figure out

what the other one spied with his or hers little eye. They'd been interupted late in the evening as a brown stallion with purple eyes flung the chamberdoors

open.

Imediately, he greeted them both by name, then ordered the guards to leave the room. They refused at first, but after a short argument, they agreed to leave.

With a few extra bits as payment when they left. The purple-eyed stallion took a bow before he left, saying he wished them a good night. And a good night

it had been. Seeing as they where finaly left alone, they took the oportunity to do what most couples do, and they wasted no time or effort in making it last.

After all, they had no idea when or if they would get this chance again.

Once they where done, they'd spend the rest of their time entangled closely, talking and fantasising about how their lifes together would be once everything

was back to normal. How the Lunar Republic would rule Equestria. But as the guards returned one hour later, they both quickly went silent about their

plans, and moved apart once again, sharing one last secretive kiss as they did.

That was the day before, and it had been a wonderful day, but now they where back in their same, heavily guarded routines. But despite all of this security,

they had not removed the Jormundgand from Dust. Perhaps Celestia had no idea what it was, and thinking it was just a worthless trinket, she let him keep

it. And that would be their way out of here and into power, Dust hoped. As soon as his wounds had healed and he could walk without help, he would bring

down Celestia together with her sister, and finaly, they would no longer have to fear. Go on with their lifes, as rulers of the land. And everypony would love

them.

Or die.

Darkness had fallen over Canterlot, and the stars watched over the town from above. The moon lit up the path of an unkown pony in a cloak as it quickly

trotted down the empty alleys and streets. More then a few times, the pony had to stop and hide in the shadows from the prying eyes of the guards working

the graveyard shift.

After a while, the pony came to a stop at a small door, covered in shadows. There was a sign hanging above it, but it was old and wheatered, impossible

to read. The door creeked sligthly as the cloaked pony pushed it open. It stepped inside, and it's heavy hooves brought forth banging sounds as they

touched the wooden floorboards. One of the downsides of being a stallion; much heavier then a mare, making it harder to move without a sound.

He closed the door behind him and locked it as well. As he spun around, he was greeted by the sight of an old pub. Dark oak table dotted the room, along

with chairs in the same material. On the far end of the room there was an old bar, completely covered in dust. Behind it, several shelves where the alcohol

and glasses would have been back in the day, but cobwebs and even more dust had now taken their place. Nopony had been in here for quite some time,

that's for sure.

The stallion narrowed his eyes to see better in the dark, and after a while, he saw what he came for. A black figure, almost invisible in the dark, was sitting

at a table on the other side of the room. From here, he couldn't see who it was, but he still knew. He walked over to the pony by the table, and as he came

close he could see the black cloak it wore, same as his, and the black horn pointing out from underneath the hood.

He sat himself down on the other side of the table.

"What news do you bring?" The voice of a mare asked, a dark voice with an odd accent.

"The board is set." The stallion answered. "The pawns are allready moving."

"Good, I knew I could count on you."

"I'm always loyal."

"Of course you are. Now, I presume that the Black King and Queen will soon.. spring into action?"

"Just a few more days, and they will. Hopefully, they can bring down the White Queen."

"And if they fail?"

"Then.. then I'll have to finish it instead."

"I am still counting on you to do your part in protecting the Carrier. He must not be harmed, remember that. If something does happen to him.."

"I know, I know. Listen, you can count on me, allright? When have I ever let you down?"

"Need I remind you what will happen to us both should we fail?"

"Charming as always.."

"This is no time for jokes."

"Forgive me. But I should probably go back now, before anypony notices that I'm gone. Can't have them suspecting me, now."

"Indeed. Walk with the Void, brother."

"Walk with the Void, sister. And a good night to you, Aurora."

No-Hope never left Twilight's side, despite the fact that she never wanted to talk or even look at him. The only words they exchanged where to say good

morning or good night or other simple trivial matters. The more she ignored him, the more determined he became to show her his support, and nothing

could make him leave her side. He would stand by her, stand by this broken husk of a once amazing mare. Perhaps he could blow back some life into her.

And as he was sitting next to her bed as he'd been doing for the last few days, a thought came to him.

"Twilight?" He asked carefully. "Would you mind.. answering a question?"

She didn't answer, but he saw she shook her head slowly. Right, this was his chance.

"Do you remember.. what he looked like?"

He tried to walk around his own question, so as to not really mention the man that had done this to her.

"Blonde hair, some sort of black cloak and an odd necklace." Twilight answered in an almost singing voice. As if she had rehersed those words just for this

question.

It wasn't much to go on, but No-Hope thought he could make do with it. He would find the man that did this to Twilight, and make him pay.

All his life, he'd screwed everything up, always making a fool of himself and failing in whatever he did. But not this time. He would succed, show Twilight

what he really felt, earn her love. All he had to do was find this man.

He'd never hurt a single living creature for as long as he'd lived.

But this man; No-Hope would look into his eyes as he took his life away from him.