The wind blew. The stars twinkled. A crayon drawing of a tumbleweed rolled past a small hill.
The mare sat there, staring at the stars as they went out one at a time. When there was only one star left, she smiled. "Always the last star to leave the sky, aren't you Midnight?" She closed her eyes. "I wish... I wish... I wish..."
"You know," The mare 'EEP'ed at the voice came from behind her. "You really don't need to go through the whole thing. Just calling me by name is enough."
Princess Luna rushed to the stallion who now stood before her, nearly bowling him over as she threw her forehooves around him and started sobbing into his shoulder. "I-I thought I'd..."
Midnight star gently reached up and brushed a hoof through her mane. "Shhh.... Shhhhh... Hey now, this is me we're talking about. You know I can't stop chasing my dream. Besides, I couldn't just leave my partner to face the world alone, I'd never forgive myself if the facade consumed the kindest mare I know."
"...So we're back to being battle partners again? I mean, after everything that's happened I don't exactly know quite where we stand. I just want to be sure that I-"
She was stopped by a hoof on her lips. "We are partners. I never said anything about combat. Nothing about that has changed. Not for me."
The two alicorns sat down in the shade of a licorice and mint ice cream tree to watch the pixelated sunrise. They were quiet for a moment as they listened to the symphomy of birds that serenaded them with a beautiful Beethooven Dubstep. "I heard what you said back there, although I think I was the only one who understood that didn't react. You do realize that Doc and that one bat pony mare heard you, right?"
Luna blushed. "I realized that... a few seconds after I said it." The stallion tipped his head back in laughter. "It's alright though, I trust both of them."
There was silence for a few moments before Luna broke it again. "I meant it you know. What I said back there." She got up and turned to look at him. "I meant it with all my heart."
He met her eyes. "Well then, allow me to say..." He fired off a burst of clicking.
Luna blushed. Hard. She turned to look at her hooves. When she laid back down next to him, she was decidedly closer than before, pressed up against his side. There was nothing particularly sensual about it, just comforting.
He laid down as well, letting her rest her head on his neck. "So what's the world like?"
"The world?"
"Yeah, you know, everything. You gotta remember, I'm kinda half-there when I'm granting wishes, but I'm still not back yet. So tell me about what's happening down there. Celestia locked me out of the castle, why don't you tell me about your life?"
"What's to tell? You'd think that a thousand years would be enough for my sister to fix politics and make the government actually work the way its supposed to, but noooooooooooooo, it's just as bad as ever. I don't think they've changed a single thing while I've been gone. I swear, some of the ponies were even there when we were!"
The stallion's laughter drew her attention. "What?"
"You, just... you. This is the real you, not the perfect princess, but a filly who's looking at the world and can't stop rolling her eyes at the foals pretending to be adults."
"Candor in court is a flaw."
"That's your aunt talking. You're not her. Yes, it might be a flaw, but you know what? Our flaws are what make us who we are. You are imperfect, flawed, and beautiful because of it. Your flaws make you real. Nopony understands that better then the two of us."
She smiled as she settled up next to him again. "Let's see... aside from the nightly drudgery of court life, the only ponies I really get to interact with are the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony. And a few of their closest friends."
"Really? So, what do you think of Lace Heart's successor?"
"Pinkie Pie? Lacey would have been proud. Do you know, when I was Nightmare Moon, she actually beat one of my trials by singing?"
"Singing?"
"Yes. Funny thing, it was a very familiar tune."
"Don't tell me..."
"Mmm-Hmm. I accessed the birth records system later, turns out they've been passing that song down in her family for generations. Pinkamina Diane Pie is a direct descendant of Blueberry Tart Sweet." She chuckled. "I have to tell you, I think that might be when I really started getting control back, when I heard that song we wrote a thousand years ago to lull a frightened filly to sleep used to banish fear and put laughter in its place." Her face fell. "I miss them... I mean, yes, there's always the ability to step over for a time, but... I miss them all, hearing them laugh and sing and play."
"They don't get to do that on the other side?"
"Some do, but... It's like dying just sucks all the light away. This world is based so much on happier things that when a pony is forced to face death in the most real way possible... most of them are broken."
"Maybe... Head to ponyville and find Apple Bloom. She just might be able to do something."
"Apple Bloom... where have I..." Luna's eyes widened. "Wait, her older sister is Applejack, Afterburner Blaze's successor. She's one of Scootaloo's friends."
"She's a spirit mage."
"What? How did one of the Crusaders..."
"There was an... incident with a spirit prison. It was actually one that most of the legends had given up on. Then one night a certain filly managed to find herself there. She accessed the prison itself, activated the core artifact. Then she escaped." Midnight chuckled as he watched the flowing scenery. "Apple Bloom walked into a place that legends dared not, did the most dangerous thing possible, and managed to save not only herself, but immediately saved another pony's spirit and set four others on the road to recovery."
Luna cocked an eyebrow. "Impressive... And the other two crusaders?"
Midnight shook his head. "They weren't there at the time. Those three fillies have an interesting relationship. In so many ways their fates and destinies are one, and yet each of them is still very much their own individual. I look forward to seeing where they go."
"Well given the paths their sisters and mentors are on, I'd say they're going to go far."
"Yeah, the Element Bearers... On those combined notes, keep an eye on the entire Apple family. I'm not sure what they're going to pull off next, but two of those three children are already very much living up to the family heritage of accidentally getting magical powers and finding themselves in situations where they save ponies using them."
"Family heritage?"
"A line that I managed to keep track of. I'm not even sure if Celestia has pieced this one together or not, but Applejack is the only pony to directly descend from her predecessor."
Luna gasped, "You mean...?"
Midnight smiled, "The foal escaped the fire, remember? The Apple family are descended from Afterburner and Orange."
Luna shook her head, "Are all six tied back to us then?"
"No, as far as I've been able to gather, Applejack is the only one descended from a previous element, although I suppose I did somehow miss the bit between the Pie family and Blueberry... Perhaps there's more, but it does feel slightly egotistical to think that we completely restructured the elements around us."
The Princess sighed, "It just occured to me that we're still talking about plans and preparations..."
Midnight blinked and then chuckled sheepishly, "Right... Time for that later I suppose... What do you want to talk about?"
Luna thought about it for a minute and then shot him a sly grin, "Or... do?"
Midnight looked at her, "Luna, are you really suggesting that -"
"Oh, now come on, that old contract is technically still in effect."
Midnight sighed, "Tempting, but... no. The timing's not right"
"But Midnight, we could be waiting for another thousand years!"
"That's exactly the point Luna, that's the problem. I'm only halfway in your life right now, it wouldn't be right."
She harumphed. "Fair."
"Besides, you're technically not here right now."
"What?"
"Think about it Luna, ou didn't get onto the dreamscape by walking, you got here by falling asleep."
"So then... This is all a dream?"
"Yes... it's the closest contact that they'll let me have until I'm released and my role passes and I go back to being an alicorn instead of a star."
"I might need to have a talk with the rest of the night sky..."
"Please do, I've been trying to get them to be more proactive for a millenium, I could use the help."
"They're still insistent on maintaining separation between Equestria and the sky then?"
"Yes, and we're talking politics again."
Luna sighed and layed her head down on the grass. "It seems to be almost inextricable from our lives... And here I was hoping to just spend some time being with you."
Midnight nuzzled her neck gently. "Now that," he said, "Is a wish that I can most definitely grant." The mare leaned up and returned the stallion's affectionate nuzzle.
The pair lay there, side by side, basking in each others' presence for the first time in just over a thousand years. They simply gained happiness from being with each other, as time moved at the slow pace that it only can in dreams.
Author's Note
Yeah, yeah. I know, mushy. I hope at least. That was what I was going for, just a little bit too much sappiness that is. Honestly probably the first time I've ever written an entire romance scene instead of just a couple of lines inserted somewhere, generally along the lines of a famous scene from The Empire Strikes Back.
So yeah. Don't worry, no majorly drastic change of plans, "For Everfree" will still be releasing on Thanksgiving, but I had already started this before I left, and so since I had already made mention of it in the author's note at the end of "Rising Star" I figured that after I finished polishing that a bit I might as well put this out.
So, not my big return entrance, but still,
I'm BACK
-NPP6
