The Prophecy

— What did the bastard do that he wanted to kill you? — I asked Luna as we walked down one of the castle corridors. It had been a few days since the fight with Black, and I was still reeling from the events that had happened to me. What bothered me the most was how much I had given in to the rage, and the fact that it had unlocked my potential as a fighter. Previously, I couldn't even hold swords for long, and throwing knives was out of the question. Now I could manipulate weapons and defend myself with ease. I was also very concerned about the abilities that were still dormant in me, in particular my unusually high reaction speed. Or as I call it: «assessment combat situation» or «ACS». At first I thought it was a time stop, but in fact it turned out to be completely different. And most importantly, I have not yet been able to consciously cause ACS. — He wanted to rob his own bank with the hooves of the mercenaries he planned to frame after they hid some of the money, — Luna answered calmly, — He bribed the guards not to guard the bank building. We found out about it and tried to make an arrest during the deal, but we could only take the mercenaries into custody. I frowned and snorted. «Yeah — that was a clever one. I didn't even realise what the scheme was. Clever, I'll give you that» — What was the explosion? — I asked, remembering what had started it all. — I personally wanted to catch him in that house, but he set a trap for me, — Luna stopped and looked at me, — I managed to teleport, but I didn't judge and hit the wall. Vulpa helped me to recover. I involuntarily clenched my teeth in mild anger. «If it wasn't for her reaction power, then it probably wouldn't have ended well for Luna... and Bit Ritch wouldn't have limited himself to paralysis. Ripping off his head wouldn't be enough for me». — Meanwhile, I was destroying a bank... For a while we just walked in silence. But then Luna sighed heavily and shook her head. — You know, Stevrian, — The Princess of the Night looked at me judgementally, — You did a very bad thing, beating a sentient creature to a pulp. — But? — I turned my head to the side. «I don't feel guilty. That bastard got what he deserved. If I was given the opportunity to make it right, I will do it again, unequivocally». — I perfectly understand your feelings, — She softened, — In my youth I did the same thing, but more often than not I just killed those who dared to harm me or our subjects. The princess's serious expression changed to a slight smile when she mentioned the murders, which seemed strange. However, I decided not to pay attention to it. «The attempted robbery of his own bank is quite interesting when viewed from an unbiased observer's point of view. The various clever money manipulations and the framing of the mercenaries... How will this Bit Ritch's life turn out now? Paralytic won't go to jail, but he's certainly not a threat». — And what will happen to that criminal aristocrat? — I asked, pricking up my ears. — In ancient Equestria, he would have been publicly executed, — Luna replied calmly, — I almost always executed the sentences myself. — But then there was no such article as terrorism, right? — Ter... terror... terrorism, woah! — She said, shaking her head again. It seemed that this word was something new for the mare. — Still can't get used to the new language? — I asked. The princess merely nodded. — I couldn't find that article in the Equestria criminal code, as well as mentions of the death penalty, — I said my thoughts aloud, recalling one of the books on Equestria's laws. — My sister must be tired of violence, — The princess shrugged, — So she erased all mention of it. — But still, what awaits that aristocrat? — All I know is that my sister will take him under... as I understand it, «custody», — Alicorn scratched her head, — But only when he gets back to relative normality. — What did she mean by «custody»? — I do not know, — Luna shook her head, — Let's move on. I involuntarily remembered that I had seen two former guards. They looked weird and acted like they were zombies. «Isn't that what Celestia meant by ‘custody’? If so, that's fucked up!» I felt sick at the thought. It was especially bad that it could happen to me. — Oh yes, — The princess stepped forward and turned to me again, — Star said you avenged his family. What did he mean by that? — That stallion actually took Star's family's last place to live a while back, — I said. The Princess of the Night immediately changed her expression, portraying a slight shock mixed with anger. — That's terrible! How did this happen? — From what I understand from Star's story, his father took out a loan for his education, but he couldn't pay it back in time, so... — I'd kill for that, — The Princess of the Night said menacingly, her hoof thudding loudly on the floor. — I almost did, though not for that, — I shrugged, ’But I didn't know it was him. But I'm glad that scum will suffer for the rest of his life. «I wonder how Bit Ritch will exist now. Will they make him a special wheelchair so that he can somehow move around? It would be better if everyone forgot about him one day so that he died alone!» I grinned at such bloodthirsty thoughts, but immediately fought myself: «What am I thinking? No, I am not a monster to wish such a horrible death!» — I see you're getting along well with my new subject? — The princess turned to me. Returning from my musings, I looked at the alicorn in surprise. — What is your relationship with Star? — Luna asked with a slight smile. The first thing that came to my mind: his sexual preference. So my reaction to the question was embarrassment. — Well, — I faltered, looking down at the floor, — We're close friends. We've become friends over the past few months, which is amazing. You know I don't get along well with others, so I think you'll understand. — That's nice, — The dark blue mare smiled, — I'll make sure Star has a good life, I promise. Saying that, the princess winked and smiled wider. — Now let's go. Let's not keep my sister waiting. Celestia was in the garden today, and she was waiting for us there. When we wanted to go there, a guard stopped us and told me to come to Celestia alone. Luna, however, insisted that she come with me and we went to the «tea arbor», where the solar mare was located. — Stevrian, — Celestia began, sitting with her back to us, — Thanks for coming in. — Did you want to talk to me? — I asked, walking around the table and sitting down opposite. At the same time, Luna stood near the door and watched carefully. — Yes, I wanted to, — Celestia took a bite out of her herb sandwich. From the look of it, it consisted of plantain, amestus and clover in addition to the bread, washed down with fresh apple juice. The mare gave a sigh of relief, as if she hadn't eaten such a thing for a long time, and put the cup on the table, continuing: — You must be tired of the cramped walls of the barracks, right? — Yeah, right, — I nodded, mentally acknowledging that the princess was right. — I've arranged for you to be given a house in Ponyville. «In Ponyville?» — I wondered, — «Of course! Where else?» — There were no vacant houses, so by my decree you were built a dwelling on the outskirts of the Everwild Forest, — The princess pulled a stamped paper from under the table and slid it to me for review, — It's all already certified. All you have to do is sign the papers and you're a proud landowner. I began to scrutinise the document. And for good reason: in addition to the standard property and land contract, I found something interesting that confused me: — It writes here that the state can take the house and property in its favor in emergency situations, — I chuckled, — What kind of situations are these? — For example, during the war, as a temporary location for fortifications and protection, — Celestia replied calmly. — But it seemed to me that Equestria adheres to a peaceful policy. — Officially, — The mare nodded, "but I understand perfectly well that this can't go on forever, and I'm trying to delay the start of the war as long as possible. — And with whom is the war? I chuckled, mentally sighing in frustration. — With the griffins, — Celestia sighed, — Intelligence has reported that they are planning to attack a colony on a neighboring continent. Since this colony is part of Equestria, it means war. «It's not all glory the Void. Sometimes internal problems, sometimes external ones. Not a day's rest, damn it» — That's too bad, — I sighed, trying to pull myself away from my gloomy thoughts, — But back to the subject of real estate. What else do I have to do? — Like I said, all you have to do is sign right here, — She pointed with her hoof at a blank line in the document, — And the house will be yours. I looked at Luna, which was still standing in a dark corner of the room. She shrugged and nodded. Thinking that everything was getting too easy for me, I signed the papers anyway. Celestia, having received my signature with a clear conscience, put the papers back under the table. — Congratulations, Stevrian, on your acquisition, — Smiled the rainbow-grin. It seemed to me that she was doing it with some kind of falsehood in her eyes. But I decided not to pay attention to it. — I suppose that's all? — I asked. The alicorn nodded affirmatively. — Tomorrow evening you will be escorted to your new home, but in the meantime, pack your things and talk to your friends. If you want, you can say goodbye to them. You may not be coming back here soon. — All right, — I said shortly. I was about to leave, but the princess stopped me, adding: — Don't let anyone see you for two weeks, — Celestia said in a serious tone, — I'll get the pony ready to meet you. Don't let me down, okay? I nodded and left the garden with Luna. There we went out into the corridor and closed the door behind us. I must admit, I breathed a sigh of relief at that moment. It turns out that I'm finally leaving this damn barracks full of guards! No more "company, get up!", no more stallions with shoulder straps, no tension. Is this the beginning of a new peaceful life? Honestly, I can't believe it. But why lie? There's no need, I suppose." I was filled with determination and exultation at the thought of long-awaited freedom. — Luna, — I said to the night princess, smiling, — Did you know that Celestia decided to give me a house? — No, — He shook her head, — But she's been extraordinarily generous these days. — For example? — Well... She gave the Apple family another twenty hectares of land to grow apples, for example. «Wow! The Apple family is the same family that founded Ponyville. Their apple orchard will never be forgotten! They must have a monopoly on apples and apple juice. I'll check it out for myself if I can. It's interesting». — It's even strange... — He scratched his head and returned to the topic of Celestia, — Maybe something good happened to her? Suddenly, several guards came around the corner, and in the midst of their conversation, I heard a single phrase that put everything in its place: — Shining proposed to Cadence, did you hear? — Said the one who was closest to me. I just grunted with satisfaction, letting them pass me by. — Did you hear that too, Luna? — I raised an eyebrow in surprise when the guards turned the corner. — Yes, I also heard, — The princess of the night smiled, — I will have to congratulate my niece. — Remind me, who is this Cadence? — I turned my head to Luna, looking at her questioningly. Sure, I knew who Cadence was and what her powers were, but since Luna had no idea what knowledge I had, it was worth it to keep playing the role of the know-nothing dragon. — The third alicorn in Equestria, — The mare smiled even wider, — Her speciality is love. — I take it that's where you're headed too? — I asked with a vulgar innuendo. — Maybe, — The princess chuckled, covering her mouth with her hoof. «Hmm. And now this is even interesting. And even in a way it's cute. I even started to envy Shining Armor a little. But, however, why should other mares look down the drain. I'd rather talk enough with the princess and get answers to all my questions while I have the opportunity». — And, Luna, — I continued, — Can I ask you another question? — Of course, — The princess answered without removing the smile from her face. — What do you think about the recent situation when I was challenged to a duel? — It was very dangerous, — Luna replied excitedly. The smile instantly disappeared from her face, giving way to severity: — What were you even thinking about? «And why is it always me? Besides, that lieutenant was asking for it and wanted to kill me. You bastard!» — I couldn't refuse, and Black offended Star too, — I looked into Luna's eyes, — And he's just completely crazy. The princess visibly changed her expression to a more angry one and stopped. It made me feel like she was about to be rude to me. — I heard that he sacrificed the health of his subordinates to fulfil his goals, — I continued, trying not to worry, — He needed to be put in his place, so I agreed. — What kind of idiots are in the army? — Luna sighed, — If it were those times, I would have flogged him in front of the whole cohort. WITH WHIPS! Alicorn thundered the last word, raising her hoof upwards. — So that this son of a bitch remembers his place for the rest of his worthless life! I understood Princess Luna's anger and did not condemn, but I instinctively felt uneasy about her aura. Although I must admit, I still felt furious at Black for trying to kill me. It was even a pity that they did not let him be killed. However, it was unnecessary and I understood it. — He also tried to kill me. What will they do to him for this? Feeling myself getting angry again, I asked, growling slightly. But I immediately pulled myself back to my hooves, scolding myself for being angry again. — Public execution by hanging! — The Princess of the Night shouted loudly. The alicorn finally lost her temper and hurriedly left the corridor, leaving me alone. «I guess I shouldn't be having this conversation. I'll have to apologise to the princess when the time comes» But there was nothing for me to do here, and so I decided to return to the barracks without following Luna, deciding to give her time to cool down.

***

— You did a good job on the lieutenant, — One of the guardsmen at the next table at lunchtime said to me, — I respect that. — Me too! — Shouted another, — What a reaction! — It was very dangerous! — Said a third, — But it was pretty damn cool. — How did you get the sword back? — Questioned the fourth, — It's impossible from that distance! After that fight with the lieutenant, I became a local celebrity. Everyone now looked at me with approval and respect. In fact, no one was afraid of my formidable appearance anymore. Not only because of my fighting ability, but also because I had beaten up their most vile officer. «It's good when you punish villains! I didn't think it was so pleasant to be considered and treated kindly. How rarely does this happen to me...» — Thank you, thank you, — I replied, — But you've been keeping up with me for days now, — I looked around at all my barracks comrades, — And I don't know how it happened, honestly. It was purely on instinct. — It's still hard to believe, — The guardsman sitting next to me shook his head. He seemed to be more impressed by that fight than the others. No wonder, because it's not every day you see a battle between two fighters of different weight categories, and even more so spectacular. — I understand, — He sighed, and decided to announce the important news to the guards anyway, — Tomorrow I'm moving into my own house near Ponyville. So this is my last lunch with you. — Oh! — Shouted another guardsman, smiling, — Congratulations on the purchase. — We will visit you, — Said another guard, — As far as possible, of course. — Thank you very much, — I smiled. «If you look at it that way, then for some reason I was sorry to leave the barracks. The way I was treated on the day I arrived there and now is just heaven and earth. And some of the Guards, such as Star and Green, became my friends altogether. Maybe I'll see them later, who knows!» Speaking of the sergeant: as soon as I thought about him, he suddenly materialized near the next table and silenced the guards who were talking with a loud voice: — Would you gentlemen care to dine?ºᵉ The stallions began to gradually return to the meal, and my lower jaw dropped a little from such a phrase. I didn't hear that, did I? «Wow! I didn't know Green could speak Old Equestrian!» As they say, you never know what secrets others may have, but nevertheless decided to continue lunch in silence. I spent the evening saying goodbye to the guards, as if going on a demob after a long service. That's about what I felt, even though I never served in the army. One of the soldiers even shed a few tears. I even hugged him, encouraging him with a couple of parting words. So the time remaining until the night flew by unnoticed for me. And after dark, I put all my few belongings in my purse and headed out. Under the cover of night, Green, Sinister, and I, who were assigned to accompany me, walked around Ponyville in a wide arc so as not to meet anyone. Sinister was a rather silent grey stallion with an orange mane. I hardly talked to him, and I wasn't particularly eager, especially considering his reputation. He differs from Black only in a more reasonable character, but the advantages of the character ended there. Because of this, I did not enter into conversation with him once again. Fortunately, we did not experience any difficulties when moving from Canterlot to Ponyville. None of the ponies walked along the road, which was not surprising, given the dislike of ordinary ponies for the night time. Only a few dared to walk through the darkness on their own business, and even then, equipping lanterns. When I arrived at the place, in the darkness of the night, even I did not immediately see a two-story house standing almost a kilometer and a half from the town itself, at the very edge of the Everwild Forest. Judging by the first impression, the house was made of logs, and its dimensions corresponded to my considerable size. Outwardly, I couldn't appreciate the color of the wooden walls because of the darkness, but it was clear that they were made soundly. What amused me was that the stallions accompanying me seemed dwarfed by the house. Entering the house directly, a spacious room appeared to my eyes. However, she was not rich in decoration: A table in the middle of the room, a sofa by the window, which is directed towards Ponyville. The window itself seemed to be covered with a dark transparent film. There was also a carpet that covered half of the room, log walls without any decoration, a floor made of planks, an empty place for a fireplace with a semicircular platform projecting some distance from where it was placed. It was supposed to use a large oil lamp on a square table against the wall for lighting, and there I also noticed a staircase to the second floor. There was also a large-sized electric night lamp next to the sofa and an empty bookshelf opposite the table. The first thing that came to my mind: «Cheap, angry, but cozy» — It looks... ascetic, — I said laconically. — Princess Celestia told us to escort you here, — Green said, looking at me and smiling a little, — This is not the best option, I know. However, you have your own place from now on! Having said that, the stallion smiled, as I understood, sincerely. — Give me a big thank you, — I smiled back. — And now we have to leave you, Stevrian, — The green cook sighed sadly, — They will send you fish and meat every week, as well as some fruits and vegetables. — Accepted, — I nodded. I was glad that the sergeant wanted to continue communicating and supporting me. — See you later! — we bumped hooves with Green, after which I nodded to the silent Sinister, and the guards went out the door. I was left alone in the house, my own house. — Where would I find alcoho... — As if remembering something, I mumbled, and then mentally slapped my forehead, — A switch! I looked around, studying the walls. After a minute of searching, I noticed a light switch on the wall at the other end of the room. Cursing mentally at the layout, I pressed it with telekinesis, and the lamp immediately lit up. «What kind of idiot would put a panel to turn on the lamp if I need to have it at the exit?» — I swore to myself and rubbed my temples with my hooves, — «Have they brought illegal immigrants here too?!» Sighing, I decided to go up the stairs and see what was on the second floor. What I saw disappointed me: only a huge bed for my size and a single window. «Holy shit! Do I have to buy the furniture myself?! And that's where Herring managed to make me feel bad». I went down to the ground floor again, stood in the middle of the room and began to consider my options. «Although, maybe it's not her fault? Fuck these alicorns!» How to be and what to do was completely unclear, but I would have to live here very modestly. Unless, of course, repairs were made, but for what money it was also unclear. After a while, being in thought, I began to pace the room. Somewhere near the sofa, I suddenly heard a dull sound, not typical for the rest of the floor. It was different from the ones I'd heard while I was pacing the boards, and that interested me. I decided to disassemble the boards near the sofa, and under them I found a whole foundation of quite modern materials. It surprised me a little bit in a good way. Under the foundation, in the place where I dismantled the floor, there seemed to be some kind of cavity, which is why there was a dull sound from my hooves. Deciding to test the theory, I stamped my foot with force, thereby smashing the slab, which immediately fell down. A few moments later, it hit a rock somewhere below. There was an opening leading down in front of me, and I stuck my head in there, studying what was there. My surprise was very strong when I discovered that there was a rather vast empty space a little taller than myself. «Is there a basement here? Wow! Why was it walled up?» I whistled in my mind, assessing the scale and thinking: «What if it really wasn't Celestia's fault, but the builders themselves? Jamshoots, fuck!» Deciding to leave the finishing of the basement for later, I pulled away from the hole in the floor and looked out the window. «One and a half kilometers from Ponyville, but someone can see the light if you look from the side. I'll have to go out and check». I left the house and retreated a couple dozen steps away from it, looking for a window. When I found it visually, I found that the light from the house did not seem to be coming. Scratching my head, I returned to the house. «That's a clever thing they've done. Well done! I won't have to worry about being seen in the light. What did Celestia say before I came here? That I'd stay out of sight for two weeks while she prepares the ponies to meet me? I think so». Before going to bed, I decided to check the last thing I thought was necessary: the bathroom. Fortunately, the house had a full-fledged shower, toilet and even a bathroom to fit my size. Having done all my business there, I returned to the room and began to prepare for bed. I decided not to suffer for a long time: I just plugged the hole in the floor back with planks, and settled down on the couch, covered with a blanket that I had been given in the barracks the day before. Before falling asleep, I turned my gaze to the moon that looked out of the window, which slightly illuminated the room with its silvery shine. «I don't know why, but its light makes me feel a little better», — I thought, lying on my side. This light gave my spirit an amazing calmness, which I often lacked. Also, I still couldn't believe that I was sleeping in my family home, on the couch, and not in a barracks on a hard bed. And with these pleasant thoughts, I fell into a dreamless sleep. Luna did not visit me today.

***

I found the morning with the predawn rays of the sun and, stretching, I decided to look out the window. However, I immediately hid back when I noticed a pink and yellow shadow flying near the house. Of course, it was Fluttershy, whom I recognized immediately. «I didn't think I'd see any of the six ponies so quickly», — I thought, watching. But, as it turned out, I panicked in vain: the shy pegasus did not notice me and the house. There were always some small colorful birds flying around her, similar in size to hummingbirds, but completely unlike them in appearance. She was distracted by them. I watched her actions for a while and suddenly realized from her behavior that she was not so «shy». In the canonical animated series, I have never seen her feed predators, but here I watched live as she pulled out a juicy piece of meat and calmly gave it to a bear that came up to her. The most paradoxical thing is that the pegasus did not even twist its muzzle, watching the bear eating meat. This was not even the level of the soldiers, who at first often threw their «fi» in response to my love of meat food. «I wonder where Fluttershy gets meat from anyway?» — I asked myself a question, the answer to which I will not know soon. «I've been living in this world for more than two months now, but I still can't get used to how natural everything is here. In fan fiction, they usually write about the "magical" atmosphere and big-eyed ponies with stumps instead of wings that fly with the help of magic. The reality is much more prosaic: the ponies here are real, not big-eyed and with wings normal for their size, and flights are feasible due to the elementary laws of physics, which are similar to those on Earth. Pegasus magic, at most, allows you to form clouds, stand on them as if on a solid surface, and control the weather, and even then it is extremely limited. Physically, they are the smallest of the ponies, but the fastest, lightest and most agile. Earth ponies are just strong and passively act on the surrounding space. In general, nothing unusual». Thinking about it, I did not notice how two more familiar personalities approached Fluttershy: Twilight Sparkle and her companion Spike. They started talking about something, still being near the house. Fortunately, the ponies didn't see my place, so I could be calm. The first thing I did was take a closer look at Spike. As a kinsman, he interested me the most. The appearance of the dragon almost completely resembled that of a dragon with all the features, except that the absence of wings behind its back spoiled the picture. Otherwise, it corresponded to the race: small scales all over the body, and a larger one went from the chin to the tip of the tail. Eyes with vertical pupils, a green crest from tail to head, and small sharp claws on five-toed forelimbs and four-toed hind limbs. He was about as tall as the base of Twilight's neck, which meant Spike was very small. Fluttershy looked very graceful for a mare: a thin waist, correct posture for a pony, moderate thinness, as well as a well-groomed appearance and high height for a pegasus created a pleasant first impression of her. I even tried on her height by eye, and it even seemed to me that she was taller than Black and even Twilight. This surprised me, but I decided not to be distracted anymore and switched my gaze to the embodiment of the element of magic. Twilight Sparkle did not differ much from herself in the canonical animated series, except that she looked in the style of realism, like everything around. The same mane, the same lavender wool, the same small horn. In a crowd, she wouldn't stand out from the rest. Perhaps it was only the presence of Spike that made her special. This interested me and I decided to write it down in a notebook that Luna gave me when we said goodbye on the eve of my departure from Canterlot. I also decided to write down not only my observations in a notebook, but also part of my biography, so as not to forget who I am. Lately, I've started to forget some details of the canon, although I didn't complain about my memory. This fact pushed me to make this decision. While I was sitting by the window and thinking about myself, Twilight and Fluttershy managed to say goodbye. The lavender unicorn left with Spike, and the yellow pegasus stayed in the clearing near my house and continued to mess with the animals. In general, the day started normally for them. Except that now there was another pair of eyes watching the Six. «And why near my house? And I wonder what their «series» is supposed to be? Although, what's stopping them from living a simple life? That's probably what they're doing» After thinking about it, I shrugged my shoulders. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to explore the basement again, but with a fresh head. It wasn't difficult to build an improvised staircase, but I had to use a bookcase for this. Or rather, its shelves and the back wall to weld the boards. Strangely enough, but this whole structure, supported on a three-story mat and nails, calmly withstood my weight if walked on it carefully. A small problem was punching a big enough hole so that I could not only squeeze my head inside, and I worked hard with my hoof. As a result, I beat him off, which made me limp noticeably, but the hole was formed, and I was able to descend to the lower level of my dwelling. — It's big, though, — I said, looking under the house and shuddered as I felt a sharp chill, — And cold. «Well, at least it's a place to store food. Thanks for that». Returning back to the main room, I looked out the window and found that Fluttershy had already flown away, which means I can do further research of my house and its surroundings. As I scrutinised the room, I found a barely visible door under the stairs that led to the backyard of my house. It was, contrary to my initial expectations, not an exit into the woods, but a small fenced-in arena where I could turn around quite a bit. In one corner were two full-sized ponyquins, and to their right a large table on which lay two swords and two daggers: one set of weapons were training weapons, blunted to the point where they couldn't cut or pierce anything. But the other set was the real thing, the kind that could be used to kill. «Strange that I was allowed to have a battle weapon. Was it left to defend myself against the beasts of the Everwild?» Thinking about it, I walked around the perimeter of the arena and nodded, satisfied with the inspection. The walls of the arena were made of the same logs as the house, and they were two times my height. The site itself was covered by a small roof, which did not hide only its very center, which made me involuntarily have associations with the construction of roofs of Roman houses and barracks. — I like it, — I appreciated what was revealed to my eyes, — At least they did something good, and that's fine. I went to the weapons table and weighed each weapon first with hoof kinesis, and then with telekinesis, assessing the good balance of weapons for the first and second use. At that moment, I thought that after the day I almost killed that pony, my strength had increased dramatically. What I couldn't do before is now relatively easy for me. It gave me dark thoughts: «What if my power is in a rage? What if by bringing pain and suffering to others, I become stronger? If so, then Celestia is right that I'm dangerous... damn, it's the exact opposite of what I live for, which is to help others. What should I do about it? And it all comes down to one thing — at some point I turn into a monster. How do I fix all this?» In the end, I decided to take my mind off my thoughts a little and practice sword fighting, practicing telekinesis strikes. I worked out at this pace for the rest of the day, I was seriously hungry, and I was tired and sweating. So at home I took a shower, ate meat with beans and peas, which were in the few stocks of food in the closet, and then settled down for the night on the second floor. I slept even worse there than on the couch: I was constantly turning, and I had a feeling of anxiety. In the middle of the night, I decided to move back to the ground floor. However, as soon as I lay down on the sofa, I immediately felt that someone was watching me. Unable to withstand such moral pressure, I grumbled and looked out the window, stunned. Spike was standing in the middle of a clearing a hundred meters from the house, and he was just staring blankly at me through the window, not moving. That look gave me goosebumps under my fur, and fear awoke in my soul. I looked around the room with my eyes, and found nothing better than just closing the window with a couple of extra boards, a laundry basin and a large rag. If only he would stop looking at me like that. «It's Spike, isn't it? Can he see me?» — Dragons can see through invisibility, — I remembered Vulpa's words, which I said out loud, then sighed mentally. «Of course! He's a dragon too, just like me. No wonder he was so attracted to my house!» I was already beginning to guess that some kind of magic spell had been cast on my dwelling, but the dragons could easily overcome it, and therefore my shelter did not look reliably hidden from all outsiders. But what should I do if I get burned so easily in the first few days? Suddenly, the creaking of the wooden floor was heard on the second floor, which was strange and creepy at the same time. I hurriedly decided to enter the arena and bring my sword with me to be fully armed. It seemed like this house was becoming a more and more scary place, and I was starting to think that I was having nightmares again. I was almost scared. I kept my sanity, but it was only on my word of honor. Someone was walking on the second floor. A dragon stood outside the window and watched me intently. What is important — alone, without Twilight. And I was standing in the arena, as if I was waiting for someone. Well, at least there was a weapon, so as not to fight with bare hooves. I hesitated to go back into the house, but it seemed that the danger had caught up with me. The next second, I heard heavy, hoarse breathing coming from behind me. «Fuck... Who's there?!» I whirled around and swung my sword in a wide arc. The weapon whistled through the air in front of me, but the target was never reached. At the periphery of my vision, I found something dark, moving torn and jerky. I couldn't immediately identify what it was, but in the blink of an eye, something got close to me from behind. The next thing I felt was the intense cold, which made my muscles cramp, and a cold sweat broke out on my back. It felt like I was at the north pole. I jumped forward abruptly and tried to land another blow with my weapon from a U-turn. But I missed again, but I was able to see my opponent. It turned out to be a black figure that looked like a tall alicorn with glowing purple eyes. I got into a fighting stance, preparing to repel attacks, but my opponent suddenly flapped his wings, swooping down from the sky at me, slamming into the wall behind my back. I wheezed loudly and fell to the floor, gasping for air. Getting really angry, I fueled my telekinesis with flaring rage and blocked another lunge of the black alicorn at the last moment. Hitting him in the face with a hoof in response. He bounced to the opposite side of the house and hit his head on the wall, and I bounced away from him in a flash, intending to strike again. However, my opponent was already on his feet and prepared to meet me. We began to exchange blows, which put us back on opposite sides of the arena. The ground was strewn with the debris of the broken poniquins I had hit. On top of that, I was hit in the chest and howled in pain as my own bones crunched in my ear. The pain was hellish and I was on the verge of losing consciousness. The alicorn had come to his senses and was pressing me to the floor, pressing my chest as if he were going to crush me. «Damn it! Isn't this the end? The end?! The hell with it!» Growling, I telekinetically picked up a sword lying nearby and sharply plunged it into the neck of the alicorn. He, like a terminator, did not react to this in any way and only continued to press on his chest. With the last of my strength, I twisted the blade around the axis, and with a disgusting crunch, the head fell to the floor, after which the body fell lifelessly next to me. There was nothing more I could do—I had no strength left. Soon the darkness swallowed up the sight. When I woke up, I didn't notice any alicorn corpse nearby, but the pain in my chest remained. I growled at her, clutching my chest. It was also hard to breathe, but there was no wound on his chest. «This really was a nightmare. Damn it! It almost killed me! But I remember I had some of those painkillers Miss White prescribed me. I'll have to look for them» I decided and, with difficulty, got up and left the arena where I was lying, heading for the house. When I was finally able to take the medicine, I decided to check what was happening outside the window. It was still light outside, but unfortunately Spike was standing there again, a hundred meters from the house. «Fuck, not again!» But fortunately for me, Spike didn't stay in place for long. When I started looking at him, he scratched his head and moved back to the town. «What the hell is this?!» — I wondered, trying to make sense of what had happened, — «It was night! And what's Spike doing here? Is he seeing something? That's it, I really need a rest!»