"Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth the night will last forever!" a dark blue pony clad in cold steel cackles out before the amassed ponies below. They cry out in fright and shock, cowering or running away. Satisfied with one last look, the dark blue pony clad in steel becomes enveloped in mist.

"Luna?" Princess Celestia gently calls out from behind the entrance to the balcony.

"Here, dear sister." as the mist fades away, leaving behind a dark blue pony clad not in cold steel but soft adornments, "We seemed to have been caught up in a fit of brooding."

Princess Celestia slowly steps out onto the balcony, coming to a rest beside her dear, but troubled, sister. Yet no words come from her mouth. In her stead she merely looks forth from her perch as white feathers nestle against dark blue.

"They were too quick to forgive." was all Luna whispered out.

"And you are far too slow." Celestia slightly turns her head towards Luna, "Our little ponies adore you Luna. As do I."

"One need only thank the passage of time for such an unearned boon." Luna replies back.

"I would prefer to thank the naturally forgiving nature of our subjects" Celestia carefully objects.

The closing of her eyes signals the unnerving silence as her sister patiently awaits at her side, "They would judge us based on what might be read to misbehaving foals before bedtime." slowly opening her eyes once more, "How can one truly accept that which no longer has proper council to make judgement?" Luna internally unable to displace the irony of the empty assembly before her against such declaration.

"Do I not count?" Celestia almost pouts.

"You are our sister." Luna casually quips, "Of course not."

"What of the bearers?" Celestia notions as she notices Luna slightly jump, "One could say that they felt the full force that which was Nightmare Moon, and yet they were the very first to offer their hooves in friendship to you."

"We...that is to say..." Luna attempts to stagger out before the sister's attention is drawn towards the stage.

"So you didn't learn anything huh?"

"Rainbow Dash!! That's private!" as galloping hooves echo about "Stah ahna mah pal!"

"Applejack don't talk with your mouth full. For one it's unlady like and none of us could understand what you said."

"Yeah!" echos from the stage, "Besides it's not my problem that your letter got put on my side of the line."

"Wah ly..." as the sound of a raspberry rings out, ""What line?!"

As sigh and snort couldn't help but escape from the sister's muzzles, neither could the faint creep of a smirk.

"That is to say, that we are forever grateful." Luna whispers.

"While mere words may soothe our ears they truly make poor remedy for a broken heart." Celestia slowly steps to the front of the open balcony, "For even our own eyes may deceive if we rely on only them to guide or judge." Scanning the not the empty podiums but the lively stage, "Sometimes it is actions not intended to be known that encompass that which we seek the most ourselves."

"What we do we do not for self redemption sister." Luna slowly travels as well to the front of the balcony, "For just in of itself being brought back into the light cannot grant." She too stares down upon the stage, "But it does grant something just as precious."

"And what might that be, my dear sister?" Celestia gently inquires.

"A chance." Luna whispers in return before a deep breath and ruffling of feathers shoos away the heavy cloud around her, "What we have now is a chance." relaxing her posture, "We have family. Friends. Subjects who know not of war or suffering where nightmares come from imagination and not from experience. Do we yet deserve forgiveness? Nay. But that is because we feel that we have not earned it." letting one eye look into her sister's own, "Yet."

Celestia glances to her side as a soft smile begins to form.

"Hey is that Pinky's party cannon?"

"Laughter!" Luna shouts over the balcony banister, causing Celestia to shroud her ears.

"Fiddlesticks!"

"I do so hope this day goes well." as the softness of Celestia's voice spread across the balcony, "This small community has been through so much and they always put forth so much effort."

"You worry of the Everfree?" Luna looks back to her sister.

"How can I not?" Celestia draws out with an solemn tone, "Predators of timber, scale, and stinger. Beautiful flowers of trickery. Begotten remnants of a time that had wrongly given me strength during the day, but doubt in the night." taking a moment to ruffle her feathers, "All of which can be dealt with has it has been for almost a thousand years. Yet..."

"Yet nothing." Luna's words cut through the haze of doubt filling the balcony, "You are alone no longer. Regardless of what may or may not come, good intentions or not, you will have not only have a kingdom behind but also a sister at your side."

"And here I thought I was the big sister." Celestia proclaims as a faint laugh escapes her muzzle, "Since when did we switch places?" as she turns about sporting an earnest grin.

"Since we became wise enough to know when to." Luna states with a hint of pride.

"And when was that?" Celestia playfully inquires.

"When everything was lost." as pride becomes entangled in sadness, and white feathers.

As lavender hooves begin to move back from whence they came, "You need not go my dear Twilight." the words of her mentor giving her pause and just enough time to try and dry the fresh tears, "O-oh okay!" yet not enough to conceal the rasp in her voice.

"What brings you to our balcony aside from a bout of curiosity?" Celestia playfully chastises her favorite pupil.

"I-i-i...I'm sorry I ease dropped!" Twilight jitters out entirely oblivious to the playful.

"You have no reprisal to fear Twilight Sparkle," Luna states as she puts on her poker face, "Less you've forgotten to share the cake." earning the look of shock and deadpan in one fell swoop.

"Luna!" Celestia almost growls out between her teeth.

"Ah! I'll be right back!" Twilight yells out as she gallops away leaving two very contrasting reactions from the princesses.

"Wha...wait we have cake?" Celestia's face contorted between pleasant surprise and slight annoyance.

"We...well that is to say..." Luna slightly covers her muzzle with her foreleg.

"Pinkie! We have an emergency!" Earning the attention of the princesses as they stare at each other.

"Oh I know! Miss Moonie saw my cannon!" As Luna's eyes narrow and Celestia's is unable to hold back a snicker.

"Forget that! We need cake!" Causing expressions to reverse.

"Whoever would have cake at this hour deary?" As Luna's nod causes Celestia's frown to grow.

"Princess Luna said that unless I get cake Princess Celestia will be upset!" as double facehooves commence.

"Y'all hear that?"

"If I get you cake can I keep my cannon?" As a deep growl emanates from the balcony.

"Ah know y'all heard that!" Causing Celestia to purse her lips to quiet her sister.

"All I heard was your stomach."

"Dear Applejack you simply cannot eat such unhealthy deserts in the middle of the night!" Luna nods.

"Ah don't intend to but who are you to tell me what ah can or cannot do Rarity?" Celestia nods.

"The advocate pleading on behalf of you're soon to be over plump flanks." As Celestia looks at her flank.

"Soon to be?" Luna's inability to keep from nodding sending Celestia aghast.

"They call it muscle Rainbow Dash." Celestia nods with narrowed eyes.

"Quiet! Eh-hehe...I mean please settle down. Now Pinkie if you give me some cake I promise to ask Princess Luna if she might permit the party cannon if it is only filled with confetti for the celebration." A huff and drawn out groan proceeds.

"So did you ask her?" Before the balcony becomes deathly silent.

"I didn't get the chance yet but I plan to don't worry." Luna leading as both princesses lean their ears towards the edge.

"Do you think she will say yes?"

"I'm sure she will at the behest of our invitation, dear Fluttershy."

"Yeah. If it wasn't for Princess Luna we never would of went into the Everfree together." Causing Luna to droop her ears.

"Never would'a fallen off cliffs." Followed my sagging eye lids.

"Never fought a manticore." Until they begin to shut.

"Or become bestest best friends!" Sending Luna's growing dismay to the moon, as ears perk and eyes become alert.

"Got to see what we're made of!"

"Save the our homes several times over after becoming the bearers."

"I think we can all agree that without Princess Luna we wouldn't be the ponies we are today. So I promise that after I deliver the cake that I will ask her if she would be on stage with us when we read out friendship letters." As Luna's mouth runs agape while Celestia's is engulfed in the warmest of smiles.

"But what if she can't because she needs to stay beside Princess Celestia?"

"Hey she may be the Princess but she's our friend too!" Followed by dark blue feathers trying to rub an irritated eye.

"Rainbow! All we can do is ask."

As the sound of echoing clops disappear past the stage Princess Luna attempts to quickly hide any signs of emotion, only to whirl about and meet muzzle to muzzle with the wide smile of Princess Celestia.

"Don't say one word..." Luna continues her attempt to rub her eyes.

"please say yes please say yes please say yes please I brought cake!"

"Why thank you Twilight." Princess Celestia graciously gives thanks while hiding linger annoyance.

"You're welcome Princess Celestia," bowing as Twilight recedes her pink magic as golden takes hold of the saucer holding the slice of cake, "I brought some for...Princess Luna?" as she takes notice of eyes of discomfort in the Lunar Princess.

"Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. We merely have garnered something from the air onto our eyes." As Luna straightens her posture.

"Oh Let me go get you some something!" as lavender gallops off before dark blue could protest, and only sigh.

"We hope you enjoy your cake" Luna adds with a slightly childish undertone.

"Mmmhmm." Celestia hums out with a not so slightly childish undertone.

"kkkkkhssss" Luna almost hisses back with narrowed eyes.

"This should help your eyes Princess Luna." Twilight returns with a wet washcloth, letting light blue overtake pink.

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle." Luna tabs the eyes of her eyes, not failing to take notice of the tip of Twilight's hoof grinding into the floor, nor her sister.

"Is something the matter Twilight?" Celestia asks as she ignored Luna dropping the wash cloth as her eyes go wide, "Perhaps you have something you wish of us?"

"W-well, I..." Twilight stumbled about before taking a deep breath, "Princess Luna." stepping closer to the Lunar Princess, "At the behest of the bearers of friendship, we extend an formal request for the Princess of the Night to stand alongside us during our part of the ceremony." as a small droop of water tingles down along the short hairs of her face.

"We..." Princess Luna was about to accept before entangled hooves erupted from behind the entrance.

"That's how you asked her?" Rainbow Dash sticks her head out from under Rarity.

"Eek!" Rarity screams as she is forcefully rolled off the pile landing upside down before a now red in the face Twilight, "Well deary it isn't how you asked but whom you asked."

"Darn tootin." Applejack fumbles with her stetson, "You asked Princess Luna." causing Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to tilt their heads in silent confusion.

"We...omph!" Fluttershy tries to stumble off Pinkie Pie, "We wanted you to ask Luna."

"There be a difference?" A now slightly annoyed Princess Luna addresses.

"Of course Silly!" Pinkie giggles out a snort, "Princess Luna is our princess!" as the Luna deadpans, "But Luna is our friend!" until widening eyes almost give way to compromise once more as resounding conformations ring out from the other bearers.

"Laughter..." Luna begins to soothe out.

"And maybe Luna won't be a miss meanie pants about cannons!" Pinkie lets her goofy, and slightly intimidating muzzle wide grin, blind all around her.

"Ugh..." Luna moves her hoof right below her horn, "Fine! You may have your cannon but only shall it be filled with confetti!"

"Yay!!" Pinkie yells out as she hops around, stopping right in front of a smiling Fluttershy, "Yay fluttershy!" as she starts to tickle the butterscotch pegasus until she snorts in a fit of laughter.

"Pinkie!" a read faced Fluttershy calls out in embarrassment as the hoping pink pony starts chasing Rarity around the Balcony.

"I...gladly accept your invitation." Luna concedes with slight embarrassment pushing through her cheeks as resounding yays and one scream ring out.

"Why aren't any of you helping meeeeee!!"

The Everfree;

The stallion dredges his hoof into the bare soil of the well worn path. Not hard or fast enough to dig down, but just enough to make subtle contact. Water He was sure of it.

"Water..." The stallion mutters in a terribly raspy voice, "Ah wonder." as he slowly turns his head to and fro as if to gather his bearings on which way on the herd path to take. "Gut's telling me to git...to git.." hesitation comes as he begins to sway, the plentiful assembly of glowing insects in the air suddenly expanding several fold, before falling onto the soft soil.

"..M-must stay..." as the ensemble of crickets and night birds start to shift from distant to almost ear rattling, "Ah gotta...gotta..." as the once soft soil around him begins to harden and crack in fiery glow. His breathing, once slowing, begins to quicken in anxiety as the soft blue hue of the mid summer night moon shifts to blood red.

So there you are

He begins to kick and flail about, as if submerged in an ocean, the hairs on his backside beginning to smoke and singe.

You will never escaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!" the stallion screams through the foreleg now painfully held in his own mouth as rapid breaths slow into deep and hesitant ones. Slowly releasing his foreleg, he gives no reprieve as he brings himself onto three hoofs.

"First, drink until ah can't drink anymore." slamming his now injured front leg onto the disturbed soil below as dark liquid seeps down his hoof, "Second, take a bath!" spitting profusely as he begins his gallop down the path.

Back in Ponyville;

"Report!" Princess Luna addresses a pair of guards beside Princess Celestia and the bearers.

"Nothing out of the ordinary my highness." the guard on the left rises from how bowing, "The only activity from the Everfree have been animals from the Element of Kindness's cottage."

"What kind of activity?" Princess Celestia is quick to inquire.

"A bear went into the Everfree, but none have ventured fro." The guard on the right quickly answered.

"Oh no, Harry!" Fluttershy cries out in distress, "I told him not to go into the Everfree until morning!"

"Fluttershy Harry is a bear." Rainbow Dash deadpans, "That lives in the Everfree."

"Yes, but he told me that he wouldn't go in unless he sensed something was wrong." before Fluttershy gasps, "That means something is wrong!" as she lifts herself into the air only to be pulled back down by her apple friend.

"Now hold on there sugarcube." Applejack leaves a hoof on her tail in case, "Maybe Harry just got bored of being stuck in your cottage and went out to play?" mouthing words to the others who began to give less than motivated agreements.

Raising her hoof to just below her horn, "Guard. Did...Harry the bear show that he was in distress in any shape or form?" Luna inquires if only to quell the element of kindness from possibly venturing into the Everfree under the cover of darkness.

"Negative your highness. When observed, the bear seemed to roll around in front of the Everfree and then slowly walk inside." the guard on the left quickly replies as the guard on the right slowly shuts his muzzle.

Fluttershy gives a halfhearted nod but never lets her gaze leave the floor.

"Oh for the love of..." Rainbow drags her hoof down her face, "After the celebration we will go with you and make sure Harry the bear is okay." as Fluttershy perks up to the promise, "Okay?"

"Okay." Fluttershy replies with her normal demeanor.

Everfree;

Ah can smell it! as the stallion gallops through the thick underbrush just off the beaten path. With each harsh clop of his foreleg pain ushered up until it was if he could hear the pain in his ears, only to cause his gallop to hasten. Ah can hear it! as he veers off, letting the pivot of his ears guide him just as the clouds give way to the full glow of the moon. "Now ah can seeeeaaaaaah!!!" the stallion screams as he gallops right off a 20 foot cliff into the small river below.

"gah!!" yelled the stallion as he burst through the water with little grace, much to the great annoyance of the awaiting Bear at the water's edge who stilled itself in wait.

And into the magnificent mind of Harry the Bear;

The promise Harry the Bear thinks, shall be tested! as the water continues to run down his once dry and well groomed fur thanks to the caretaker. Does this feral creature even understand?! Harry the Bear enrages within his mind, his eyes widening as his muzzle curls. When the caretaker finds out that I snuck out after she left, shaking his head at the thought of all the murderously boring tea parties. But it's not my fault! his muzzle curls once more, How am I supposed to survive on three fish a day!? as his eyes widen with crazed hunger.

Then, as the creature who would dare intrude onto Harry's late night fish snack run turns to the shoreline, they both lock eyes. Yet as the moonlight fully illuminates the creature before Harry, the latter is the first to react, by taking a step back.

Harry not understand! as his face is one no longer of anger, but surprise. Why is one of the protected here? as he stiffens into a more upright posture, Why does one of the protected not smell like one of the protected! as his nostril's take in yet another. The protected smell too good, eat too much, and too well groomed! as his claws begin to dig into the wet soil, Harry not understand.

"" the protected asks Harry, who while unable to understand the words can feel the intent, ""

Harry understand now. as he begins to relax but continues to stare. The protected are stupid tilting his head, stupid enough to get lost in the Everfree. As a grin begins to creep across his muzzle, Harry will return stupid to the other stupid and demand tribute! Almost as if to laugh only to himself, Then Harry will get five fish a day!

Back to the Smelly Stallion;

The stallion attempts to make neither heads or tails of the hysterically laughing bear on the shoreline, as he himself proceeds to climb onto shore having cleaned up to his considerably low standards of Everfree hygiene. The lifting of an uninjured foreleg and one lick later gives the stallion all the confirmation he needs. "Is enough."

Giving himself a good shake over, he then walks towards the water's edge as the current retakes any disturbances left in his wake. Peering over the edge, he can do little more than stare with blood shot eyes at the reflection. "Ain't never getting clean enough..." as a yawn escapes his muzzle, "Aw now don't go starting that again!" as a quick smashing together of forelegs brings reprieve once more.

Upon returning his gaze on his watery reflection, he couldn't help but kick a small pebble near his hoof into it. He held little comfort in the world he now found himself in, and for such a time when first arriving, just the distortion of his reflection was enough to take him back. Back to a place he now questions if ever existing, to beings with blank faces, and to a name that he can no longer remember.

Even in futility, he clenches his eyes shut for just a moment as he slams his hoof in the water. Giving it but a few moments, he opens them only be met with the same muzzle as before. Even as a low growl escapes from his clenched teeth, he closes his eyes once more giving more time between splashing the water to opening his eyes. The skin between his eyes becomes rigid as he stomps his front hooves, hinging on leaping into the reflection as if it was deserving of all blame.

But as quickly as it came the anger left as a solemn expression takes it's place, his gaze still fixed upon his reflection.

"Looks like it's just the two of us again, stranger." slightly tilting his head with a faint smirk, "With just the red..." causing him to look up in the night sky.

Heh

"Aw no..." as he is hit with enough force to drive him into the nearby rock face.

Miss me?

The stallion spits crimson onto the now flaking ground as he struggles back onto his hooves, never taking his narrowed eyes off the creature before him.

Did you forget what I told you when you first fell into my kingdom?

The stallion takes a superficial graze as he dashes between several stalagmites like rocks thrown towards him like spears in his desperate attempt to close the distance between him and his assailant.

Of how lucky I was to have found you in time?

Nearly upon his attacker, the stallion dashes just past the creature towards the rock face behind it. Leaping at full speed towards the wall of rock, the stallion uses the his momentum to push himself up the rocks and then spring off towards it's blindside just as the creature soars up into the air.

That I could only knock one of you out of the temporal stream?

"How many dang times ah gotta tell ya I ain't kin to that witch?!" the stallion yells out towards the creature far above as it flaps it's wings. "This ain't even what ah am!" as a blast before his hooves launches him backwards.

What you are, is weak!

He is barely able to shake off the earlier attack as the ground before him cackles and crushes from the sheer force of four obsidian hooves slamming down, but not enough to avoid the incoming rear hooves to his muzzle.

Not even the blood in your veins deems to you worthy of your birthright!

Given not even enough time to cry out in pain as the hard and jagged radius of the attacker's wing makes contact, he can only allow himself to go limp as he is sent skidding across the hard ground.

But it does for my retribution!

The stallion staggers to his hooves only to slammed back down by the razor edged face of the creature connecting with his own.

For I have tasted your blood in the mortal realm.

Struggling once more to stand, the same jagged face cuts into his own as he is sent back down.

So run where you may. Tempt madness in fear of closing your eyes too long.

The slamming off a hoof upon his neck all but sealing his fate, once again.

But never forget the one thing that you truly are.

The sleek obsidian faced alicorn begins to crack with glowing red spider like veins.

mine

Author's Note

Just to reaffirm that no, the oc is not nor will he ever become an alicorn.