“That’s the seventh Element of Harmony?”
Twilight stared in shock at the crown floating above them.
“But there are only six Elements of Harmony. How could there be another one?”
What did it represent?
And who was it meant for?
Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked stunned.
Neither of them had ever seen this Element a thousand years ago.
Dusk Glow stared at the mysterious crown.
For some reason, he could feel it calling to him.
It was faint, almost like a voice at the edge of his mind.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he reached out a hoof.
The crown immediately responded.
It flew straight toward him.
Everypony watched in astonishment as it landed perfectly on Dusk Glow’s head.
A powerful magical wave swept through the room.
Dusk Glow suddenly felt a connection form between himself and the Element.
His eyes began glowing white.
Then images flashed through his mind.
The first thing he saw was a familiar white space.
He had been there before.
It was the same strange place from his dreams.
The book with the drawing of Dusk Glow as a pony appeared before him once again.
A familiar hand reached out.
It was “his” hand.
The same hand from his dreams.
It picked up the pinkish-purple feather quill and began drawing on a fresh page.
Dusk Glow stared.
A crown appeared on the page.
It was exactly the same crown he had just received.
His heart skipped a beat.
Why did the version of me in this dream draw this?
Could it be that this Element was created by him?
Then the figure in the dream spoke.
“Determination is the skeleton of the soul. When fate tries to bend you, it gives you the strength to keep your head raised toward the stars.”
Dusk Glow felt his own lips moving.
But those weren’t his words.
It was the other him speaking through his dream.
The figure picked up the quill again.
Beneath the crown, he wrote two words.
DETERMINATION
Dusk Glow froze.
He suddenly remembered the ruined castle.
Even when he was badly wounded, even when he knew he was completely outmatched, he had refused to give up.
That determination was what had kept him moving forward.
So this is my Element.
The Element of Determination.
Suddenly, strange symbols began drifting out of the book.
They spread across the pure white space and formed a massive diagram.
Ten points.
Twenty-two paths, all interconnected.
Dusk Glow’s eyes widened.
A Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
He had seen the symbol in books back in the human world.
It was often associated with the mysteries of existence and the structure of the universe.
But this version was different.
Every point had a completely different meaning.
Words appeared across the diagram.
Magic.
Kindness.
Laughter.
Generosity.
Honesty.
Loyalty.
Determination.
Authenticity
Empathy.
Redemption.
Each word glowed faintly.
Dusk Glow stared at the strange tree.
A powerful sense of purpose began growing inside him.
There has to be some kind of connection between these.
Then he noticed something.
Wait.
I already know who the first seven represent.
Twilight and the others…
and me.
But what about the final three?
Who do they belong to?
Before he could think any further, the vision vanished.
Dusk Glow’s consciousness returned to reality.
But something felt strange.
The world around him seemed much smaller.
Or maybe…
He had gotten bigger.
Everyone was staring at him.
“Hey, everypony.”
Dusk Glow smiled awkwardly.
“I know you must all be shocked, but I have an Element of Harmony too.”
He pointed to the crown on his head.
“It represents Determination.”
Twilight stared at him for a moment.
Then she slowly pointed a hoof toward him.
“Dusk…”
“Your appearance.”
Dusk Glow blinked.
“My appearance?”
“What about it?”
Pinkie Pie suddenly produced a mirror from somewhere.
The moment Dusk Glow saw his reflection, he froze.
For a few seconds, he couldn’t breathe.
The reflection staring back at him was unmistakably human.
A young man stood in the mirror.
Short black hair.
Amber eyes.
A height of roughly six feet.
Sharp features.
A defined jawline.
And…
Why is my skin so pale?!
Dusk Glow stared at himself.
He still looked handsome.
At least by human standards.
He was wearing a black T-shirt, white pants, black high-top canvas shoes, and a khaki-colored coat.
His cutie mark had somehow been embroidered onto the coat as well.
Rarity’s eyes practically sparkled.
She had never seen clothing like this before.
“My hooves!”
Applejack nearly yanked her cowboy hat off her head in shock.
“That’s scarier than an apple tree growing hooves!”
“My goodness!”
Rarity’s voice shot up several octaves.
“What in Equestria is that outfit?!”
Dusk Glow glanced down at himself.
Before he could answer, Rainbow Dash’s wings suddenly stiffened.
Every feather stood straight out.
“Whoa!”
“Dusk Glow…”
She pointed at him in disbelief.
“You turned into a hairless monkey!”
She stared for another moment.
“And why are your legs so ridiculously long?!”
Fluttershy was even more terrified.
The moment she saw Dusk Glow’s human form, she hid behind a stone pillar.
Her wings wrapped tightly around her body.
Only one trembling eye peeked out through her pink mane.
She had noticed his canine teeth.
They weren’t particularly sharp, but there was something about them that triggered an instinctive fear.
Then Pinkie Pie gasped dramatically.
“Dusk Glow turned into a human!”
She exaggeratedly threw her hooves into the air.
Then, just as quickly, she bounced over to him with a huge grin.
“This is absolutely amazing!”
She pulled out a long streamer.
Then she took a deep breath.
Her chest expanded like a balloon about to burst.
What followed was an unstoppable torrent of words.
“Okay, okay, okay! This is the biggest surprise ever! Your hair looks like a raven’s wings, except shinier, and your eyes look like warm honey traps, and you’re so tall that Rainbow Dash looks like she’s barely hovering above a molehill, and you don’t even have hooves!”
She grabbed one of Dusk Glow’s hands.
“You’ve got five little flesh branches that can do all kinds of things! You can use one hand to comb Rarity’s mane while the other steals the filling from Applejack’s apple pie, and you can open soda bottles with your elbow, and you can scratch Angel behind the ears with your ring finger!”
She suddenly stared at his hair.
“Wait! Is your hair copying my mane curl?”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened.
“And I bet your human brain has at least three times as many party ideas as everypony else!”
She gasped.
“Your shoelaces even tie themselves into rainbow spirals!”
Then she leaned closer.
“THIS IS A CROSS-DIMENSIONAL FASHION REVOLUTION!”
“I need to make little yarn booties for everypony’s back hooves!”
“But first we need to solve the ultimate philosophical problem!”
“How does a human use five little finger branches to inflate balloons when a pony can just use their tail?!”
She paused.
“Maybe you could blow them up through your nose!”
“Although Rainbow might be right about brain hypoxia!”
“Or we could invent a finger-operated balloon pump!”
Pinkie suddenly stared at Dusk Glow’s face.
“Oh! Your eyelashes just blinked at me in Morse code!”
She gasped.
“Let me translate…”
“‘Emergency cake required’?!”
“UNDERSTOOD!”
Dusk Glow stared at her.
He honestly had no idea how she had managed to say all of that without taking a breath.
Is she secretly a professional speed-talker?
And another question suddenly occurred to him.
Wait.
How does she even know the word “human”?
“Everypony, calm down.”
Twilight quickly stepped between Pinkie Pie and the others.
She looked toward the rest of the group.
“Actually, Dusk Glow is…”
Twilight hesitated.
She didn’t want to lie to her friends.
But Princess Celestia had told them to keep Dusk Glow’s human identity secret.
And now the secret was impossible to hide.
She had no idea how to explain this without causing even more confusion.
Dusk Glow noticed how tense Twilight had become.
He gently crouched down.
His human hand rested lightly against her shoulder.
Then he looked toward Princess Celestia.
The princess gave him a small nod.
Dusk Glow took a deep breath.
Standing in human form, he had to lower his head slightly to meet his friends’ eyes.
Sunlight streamed through the broken roof above them, casting scattered highlights across his sharp features.
“I’m sorry for keeping this from all of you.”
He looked at the others sincerely.
“As you can see, I’m not actually a pony from Equestria.”
“I’m really…”
Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped in.
Standing upright on her hind legs, she began rapidly reciting almost the entire story of Dusk Glow’s journey.
“You’re from another world and you were watching the stars from a mountaintop when a rainbow swept you into Equestria and turned you into a pony and you landed on the moon and your magic awakened and turned you into a shooting star and you crashed into Canterlot and then you made a black Sonic Rainboom and Princess Celestia told you to keep your human identity and your history with Nightmare Moon secret and told you to study with Twilight and now the crown’s magic temporarily turned you back into a human!”
Pinkie Pie finished the entire explanation in one breath.
Then she gave a tiny,
“Eep!”
Dusk Glow stared at her in complete disbelief.
His mouth was practically hanging open.
Twilight stared at Pinkie Pie too.
Even Princess Celestia looked genuinely caught off guard.
No way.
Did this pony just unlock the entire backstory?
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.
“Uh…”
She looked at Pinkie Pie suspiciously.
“That’s definitely not how you should know all that.”
“Actually…”
Dusk Glow placed a hand against his chest.
“She’s right.”
He looked at Pinkie Pie.
“But how did you know?”
“Ever since I first met you, I’ve felt like something about you was strange.”
“You kept saying things that made no sense.”
Pinkie Pie happily bounced in place.
“My Pinkie Sense!”
Applejack’s jaw dropped.
“Hold on.”
“That shooting star we saw that night…”
“That was you?!”
Rainbow Dash suddenly zipped into the air.
“And you made a black version of the Sonic Rainboom?!”
She spun around excitedly.
“That’s AWESOME!”
Dusk Glow could only stare at Pinkie Pie.
I’m not even going to try understanding her anymore.
Princess Celestia stepped forward.
“Everypony, although Dusk Glow came to Equestria from the human world, he has already become an important part of our lives.”
“He fought beside you against Nightmare Moon.”
“He helped Twilight understand friendship.”
“And now he has received an Element of Harmony representing Determination.”
“This is an honor for him, and a blessing for Equestria.”
Hearing Celestia say this, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity cautiously approached Dusk Glow.
Fluttershy, however, remained behind the pillar.
She slowly peeked around it.
Her eyes met Dusk Glow’s.
The moment he gave her a small smile, she quickly ducked back behind the pillar.
Dusk Glow lowered his hand.
Am I really that scary?
“I’m sorry.”
He smiled apologetically.
“I didn’t mean to frighten anypony.”
“I hope you won’t be afraid of me.”
Rainbow Dash suddenly dove toward him.
The wind from her wings blew Dusk Glow’s black hair back.
“Afraid?”
She grinned excitedly.
“Are you kidding? This is AWESOME!”
“I have a human friend from another world!”
She spread her wings proudly.
“That makes me at least twenty percent cooler!”
Applejack stepped forward.
“Listen, partner.”
“Whether you’re a pony or a human, if we can stand side by side when things get rough, that’s what makes somepony a good friend.”
She held out her hoof.
Dusk Glow immediately understood.
He extended his hand.
Their hoof and palm met in a cross-species high five.
Smack!
Applejack glanced at his fingers.
So these are human hands.
They really are much more flexible than hooves.
Rarity gracefully approached.
“Oh, darling, I simply adore this outfit.”
She gently touched the fabric of his coat.
“The cut, the material, the stitching…”
“It’s completely unlike anything I’ve seen in Equestria.”
“I absolutely must study it.”
“Perhaps I could even design something that combines human and pony fashion.”
Dusk Glow smiled.
“Thanks.”
“I spent quite a bit of money finding this coat back home.”
As the others slowly became more comfortable around him, Fluttershy finally gathered enough courage to step out from behind the pillar.
Dusk Glow gave her a friendly wave.
Then he extended a hand.
Fluttershy immediately flinched and retreated behind the pillar again.
Dusk Glow stopped.
He decided not to push her.
Twilight watched the exchange and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Princess Celestia walked over and stood beside her.
“Accepting one another’s differences is one of the first steps toward true friendship.”
“Friends are ponies who learn to make room for one another.”
Twilight nodded seriously.
She looked back toward her friends.
Then Dusk Glow’s crown suddenly began to glow.
A burst of white light surrounded him.
A moment later, the human form vanished.
Dusk Glow was once again a pony.
Everypony stared.
Dusk Glow looked down at himself.
He sighed.
“So it has a time limit…”
He had been hoping to stay human a little longer.
Twilight gave him a reassuring smile.
“It’s all right, Dusk.”
“Once we get back, we’ll study it properly.”
“Maybe we can figure out a way to extend the duration.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced into the air.
“Hey, everypony!”
“Do you know what this means?”
Everyone looked at her.
Pinkie Pie grinned.
“PARTY!”
The scene shifted.
Back in Ponyville, the celebration was in full swing.
Spike happily rushed over the moment he saw Twilight return.
The royal sisters soon arrived in a magnificent royal carriage.
Everypony in Ponyville was fascinated by their new princess.
Even two young pegasi eagerly placed a flower crown on Luna’s head.
Luna smiled shyly.
The sight made everypony laugh.
Nearby, Dusk Glow noticed that Twilight looked unusually downcast.
“What’s wrong, Twilight?”
“You look worried.”
Twilight hesitated.
“Dusk…”
“I don’t really want to go back to Canterlot and keep studying.”
“Hmm.”
“Why not?”
Twilight lowered her eyes.
“Because I just discovered how wonderful friendship can be.”
“And…”
“I don’t want to lose all of them so soon.”
Dusk Glow looked at her quietly.
Back in Canterlot, Twilight hardly had any close friends besides Spike and me.
But this trip to Ponyville changed the way she saw friendship.
Now she’s finally experienced how much joy it can bring.
Friendship really is something extraordinary.
“Then do you want to stay here?”
“You could ask Princess Celestia.”
Twilight looked nervous.
“You think she’ll agree?”
“You won’t know unless you ask.”
Dusk Glow smiled.
“Go on.”
At that moment, Princess Celestia gracefully approached them.
“Twilight, I can sense that there is something weighing on your heart.”
Twilight looked up.
Celestia smiled.
“Spike, take out your quill and parchment.”
Spike immediately grabbed them.
Princess Celestia then spoke clearly.
“I, Princess Celestia, hereby give a new royal command.”
“Twilight Sparkle, you are to remain in Ponyville and continue studying the magic of friendship.”
“Write to me regularly and share what you learn.”
“And from this day forward, Ponyville will be your new home.”
Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
Celestia nodded.
“Really.”
Dusk Glow smiled.
“Congratulations, Twilight!”
The Mane Five soon gathered around Twilight and Dusk Glow.
Surrounded by her new friends, Twilight smiled brightly.
Dusk Glow watched the scene warmly.
For the first time, Ponyville really felt like home.
“There’s one more thing.”
Princess Celestia’s voice drew everyone’s attention.
She turned toward Dusk Glow.
“Dusk Glow.”
“Your magical talent and your Element of Determination have impressed me greatly.”
“Twilight has also spoken very highly of your studies and your ability to adapt.”
“And in your confrontation with Nightmare Moon, you displayed exceptional courage and responsibility.”
Celestia smiled.
“So…”
“I would like you to become my new student.”
“And I would like you to remain in Ponyville with Twilight, studying the magic of friendship together.”
The announcement stunned everypony.
The Mane Five exchanged surprised looks.
Twilight’s face lit up.
“Princess, you’re really going to take Dusk Glow on as your student?!”
The thought thrilled her.
If Dusk Glow became Princess Celestia’s student too, then they would be fellow students.
She could continue studying with him.
Dusk Glow opened his mouth.
He was about to accept.
It was an incredible honor.
Most ponies would have accepted immediately.
Then his eyes drifted toward Luna.
He paused.
A thousand thoughts crossed his mind.
Applejack nudged him with her hoof.
“Hey, partner, what are you spacing out for?”
“This is a mighty big opportunity!”
Dusk Glow smiled gratefully.
“Thank you, Princess.”
“Becoming your student would be one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Everypony watched him expectantly.
They all assumed he would accept.
Then Dusk Glow spoke.
“But I refuse.”
Silence.
Then…
“Yay!”
A cheer erupted before abruptly dying.
“…Huh?”
The Mane Six all stared at him.
Applejack’s jaw dropped.
Rainbow Dash’s wings froze.
Rarity’s mouth hung open.
Fluttershy blinked.
Pinkie Pie stared.
Twilight looked completely stunned.
Even Celestia’s expression froze for a moment.
Had they really heard that correctly?
Dusk Glow had just refused to become Princess Celestia’s student.
Rainbow Dash grabbed her head.
“Wait, wait, WAIT!”
“You actually turned down Princess Celestia?!”
Rarity placed a hoof over her chest.
“Darling, are you absolutely certain?”
“That’s Princess Celestia!”
Fluttershy nervously peeked out.
“Maybe…”
“Maybe Nightmare Moon’s magic did something to him…”
Twilight was perhaps the most shocked of them all.
“Dusk…”
“Did you say that by mistake?”
“That’s Princess Celestia!”
“The princess who has protected Equestria for a thousand years!”
“Her magical knowledge is incredible!”
“She studied the teachings of Starswirl the Bearded!”
“Do you realize how many ponies would dream of having this opportunity?”
“And you just…”
“You refused?!”
“I’m perfectly clear-headed.”
Dusk Glow remained calm.
“Princess, your guidance would be an incredible honor.”
“I would be happy to continue studying in Ponyville with Twilight.”
“But…”
Twilight immediately interrupted.
“But what?”
Her voice was nervous.
“You know what you’re giving up, right?”
“This is the best possible opportunity!”
“Don’t you want to uncover the secrets of magic?”
“Don’t you want to learn from Princess Celestia?”
Celestia gently raised a hoof.
“Let him finish, Twilight.”
The sunlight caught the edges of her eyelashes.
Dusk Glow took a slow breath.
He looked toward Celestia.
“You already have Twilight.”
“She’s an exceptional magical scholar, and I know how much she still has to learn.”
“You don’t need another student just because you can take one.”
Then he turned toward Luna.
“But Princess Luna…”
His voice softened.
“She deserves somepony who genuinely wants to understand her.”
Dusk Glow walked toward Luna.
When he reached a respectful distance, he lowered himself and bowed.
“Princess Luna…”
“Would you allow me to become your student?”
Luna’s wings trembled.
Her teal eyes widened.
“You…”
“Why?”
“You could become my sister’s student.”
“Her magical knowledge far surpasses mine.”
“And I couldn’t even control the darkness inside myself.”
“I hurt you.”
“I am not worthy of being somepony’s teacher.”
Dusk Glow slowly rose.
“I don’t need the strongest teacher.”
“I need a teacher who understands what it’s like to struggle.”
He smiled gently.
“I realized something.”
“Even as Nightmare Moon, you never truly became a monster.”
“You still had goodness inside you.”
“You weren’t evil.”
“You were simply lost.”
“I want to become the student who helps you face that darkness.”
“And I want to help you find yourself again.”
Luna’s eyes began to fill with tears.
For a thousand years, everypony had either feared her or turned away from her darkness.
No one had ever chosen to walk toward it.
No one had ever told her they wanted to understand.
The warmth in Dusk Glow’s words was almost painful.
It was so different from the cold loneliness she had lived with for centuries.
“I have never…”
Luna’s voice trembled.
“…been chosen before.”
She suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her forelegs around Dusk Glow.
She held him tightly.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Dusk Glow gently returned the embrace.
Princess Celestia watched the two of them with a knowing smile.
Her expression became thoughtful.
Perhaps some things do not need the light of the sun to be brought into the open.
She looked toward Luna and Dusk Glow.
“Your choice was better than I expected.”
“Accept him as your student, sister.”
“He may become the friend who understands your night better than anypony else.”
Luna took a deep breath and slowly composed herself.
Then she raised her head.
When she spoke again, her voice carried the unmistakable authority of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“From this day forward, Dusk Glow shall be my student!”
For a moment, everypony stood frozen.
Then Ponyville erupted into cheers.
Twilight was slightly disappointed that Dusk Glow hadn’t become Princess Celestia’s student.
But she was happy that he had made his own choice.
Rainbow Dash flipped through the air several times.
Applejack grinned and shouted,
“That’s the spirit, Dusk! That’s what a true friend does!”
Rarity smiled.
Fluttershy cautiously stepped closer to Dusk Glow.
Pinkie Pie fired streamers into the air.
The celebration continued around them.
Balloons floated overhead.
Music filled Ponyville.
Everypony laughed and cheered.
The Summer Sun Celebration had finally come to an end.
And for Dusk Glow, it marked the beginning of something new.
A new home.
New friends.
A new teacher.
And an entirely new path toward the miracle he had yet to create.