Dragon exited the borders of the town as he walked his way toward the Everfree Forest. He had left much later than he expected simply due to coming across a pink Earthen mare, one he recognized as being an Element of Harmony. More specifically, she was the Spirit of Laughter. The pink mare, named Pinkie Pieof all things, had managed to physically drag him around, a fact that still astounded him hours later. Pinkie had led him to a bakery, a library, a clothing store, a blacksmith, back to the market, a second wilderness store, an animal clinic, a farm, to the market again, to a second blacksmith, and then to the town hall, all without letting him actually go into any of the shops he was interested in. She had proceeded to shove a cupcake in his mouth then dash off at a clearly unnatural speed, muttering something about a party.

With a growing migraine from her rapid-fire speech, a disgusting taste in his mouth from when he had spit out the cupcake, and a lack of understanding of Equestrian laws of motion, he had quickly departed Ponyville and toward the Everfree as quickly as he could. The Hunter had been absolutely horrified to realize what had felt like an hour had turned out to be almost nine, making him curse at the wasted day. He sighed in relief and irritation once he was halfway between the Forest and the village.

“Does something trouble you, Dragon?” A familiar melodious voice sounded out from several meters behind him. Having heard the mare land a few moments ago and begin following him, he didn’t react with surprise or fear. Instead, he simply stopped and looked back as Princess Luna walked up alongside him.

“I met the Earthen mare named Pinkie Pie today.” The Hunter answered simply.

The Night Maiden winced. “I know of her. That mare is not right.”

“She is not.” Dragon agreed with a nod as he started walking again. “What brings you by, Luna?”

“I was flying over Ponyville and saw you, so I decided to land and speak with you. I also wanted to see where you lived so my sister and I may visit you.” Luna explained.

Dragon just nodded and the pair continued to walk in silence for a time, the edge of the Everfree drawing closer and closer. After a time, Dragon spoke. “Are you recovering well?”

“Verily.” Luna said. “I’ve been fully healed for the last day or so, thank you for asking.”

“What about your sister?”

“She is healed as well. Her injuries were mostly superficial, with the poison doing less damage to her than it had to me, due to her shortened exposure. As such, she was able to heal faster than I did.”

The Hunter glanced to Luna with a soft, small smile. “I’m glad to hear that you are both healthy again. The thought of losing the Spirits of Dawn and Dusk is a rather disconcerting one.”

“Oh? You are only concerned about us because we are Spirits in your culture?” Dragon could almost hear the smile on her muzzle.

“Perhaps in the past.” Dragon admitted. “But you are both Honored and, dare I say it, my friends. I truly am glad that you are both safe.”

Darkness descended as they walked under the canopy of the Everfree, another lull in the conversation appearing. The Hunter could almost feel the content air Luna was emitting, happy with his answer to her joking question. He followed the same trail he had used to get from his home to the edge of the Forest, grateful he didn’t have to cut down vines and brambles or dodge branches. At the pace they were moving, he and Luna would be back in his camp within an hour.

As the pair walked, Dragon found his attention drifting to Luna, looking at her out of the corner of his left eye. Her height matched his almost perfectly, something he was used to with most Imperial mares as they were only a little shorter than him. He could tell that she was smiling, with him able to see the dim light of the Everfree flashing off of her teeth. To his surprise, a couple of the teeth he could see were sharper than he expected on an Equestrian; it almost looked like she could eat meat. His gaze drifting up soon after, he was shocked to find her looking at him, amusement flashing in her eyes. “Reconsidering my previous offer of a reward, Dragon? You could use a favor for that, you know.”

Dragon forced himself to not snap his eyes forward again once she spoke, instead turning to face her fully and making eye contact. “Perhaps I am reconsidering. I’ll need some rope and a magic inhibitor first, though.”

Success! Dragon thought to himself as a dark blush quickly spread across Luna’s face, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at him. Dragon was forced to stop when the surprise stopped Luna, making him turn around and face her directly again. “Something the matter, Luna?”

The Alicorn coughed once and forced the blush down, quickly walking past him. Dragon spun around and caught up a moment after, repeating his question. Luna replied, explaining. “I just wasn’t expecting you to make such a joke. The Hunter I knew was strict about how she acted and always ignored my jokes.”

Dragon hummed. “I’ve always been more inclined to reply in kind. I wait to see what kind of humor my friend or hunting partner has and adapt to it. Knowing that you are fine with dirty humor, I’m more willing to joke like that since I know it won’t offend you.”

Luna nodded her understanding. After a moment, she spoke. “Were you serious about reconsidering my offer? It’s still open, truthfully.”

“Like I answered before, perhaps once we know each other better. You should save yourself for a stallion you really care about.” Dragon replied.

“I’m no virgin, Dragon.” Luna huffed with a frown.

“I didn’t say you were.” Dragon retorted. “Whether its your first or your thousandth time, it should be done with only those you care greatly about.”

“Fair.” Luna said with a soft nod, her frown slowly abating.

“Why the interest?” Dragon asked.

Luna favored him with a quick glance joined by a small smirk on her muzzle. “You offer me the chance to experience something I have not. I have never lain with an omnivorous Imperial nor a stallion as large as I am. In ages past, my sister and I had countless suitors but none were as tall as I am and the only predators were griffons.”

“So it’s just because I’m exotic?” Dragon asked with a grin, baiting her.

“Of course, I don’t know you well enough to add any personality traits to that list.” Luna said with her own playful smirk, bypassing the trap. “Right now, you only have your body going for you.”

That sparked a short bark of laughter from him. “I wasn’t expecting that answer, truthfully. I suppose that’s what I get for challenging a Spirit to a battle of the wits.”

“Good.” Luna said, still smirking. “I have to keep your mind sharp somehow. Otherwise, you’ll grow old and dull in this Forest.”

“We can’t have that, now can we?” Dragon joked in reply.

“It would be rather wasteful for a Hunter to grow old, fat, and lazy, wouldn’t it?” Luna asked.

“Very much so. I’d rather fall to a beast than grow old and lose my strength.”

“Truly?” Luna asked, though she couldn’t really say she was surprised. Many strong warriors feared growing old and weak in their age. To an extent, Luna feared becoming weak as well. The idea of being forced to rely on another for protection was not an appealing one.

“Yes.” Dragon answered honestly. “Most Hunters- at least those without a family, would agree. Dying in combat is better than becoming old and feeble.”

“And those with a family?”

“Their opinions change rather quickly. They’d rather pass away surrounded by family and friends.” Dragon said, his tone hinting at his understanding of the desire. “I can’t really blame them. Most Hunters don’t seek a family because they don’t know what it’s like to have one.”

“And you?” The dark blue Alicorn asked. “Do you seek a family, I mean?”

“I don’t know.” Dragon replied simply. “I’m one of the Hunters who don’t know what it’s like having a partner because I haven’t had one. Sure, I’ve had crushes when I was younger, but no real love.”

Before Luna could say anything, Dragon jerked his head forward. “We’re here.”

The Princess looked around, hoping to see what a Hunter home would look like. She was immediately disappointed. There was nothing nearby. The woods were still dense, far too dense to see through easily. The canopy blocked out light and there seemed to be no evidence of equine activity. “Pray tell, where is ‘here?’”

“Look closer, Luna. What do you see? Something out of place.” Dragon said, a small smile on his muzzle.

The Alicorn looked around her ancient home and frowned. Nothing seemed out of place from where they were standing. Sighing, she resigned herself to the Hunter’s test. Turning east, the way they had come from, she started examining the Forest more closely. The trees were the same, the usual dark oak trunks reaching up into the sky, where the canopy exploded out in every direction to block out most of the sunlight that fell to the ground from the sky. Down below, the roots of the trees breached the ground and formed places that were just perfect for tripping ponies, places where the hooves would get stuck and sprain a fetlock or worse.

Turning north, she repeated the process. Nothing stuck out in the slightest. The self-same trees, roots, branches, and bushes filled the Forest. Then she noticed something odd. There were no brambles. Luna hummed in thought.

She was familiar with the Everfree, both before her banishment and after her return while she was still the Nightmare. The Everfree had always had massive thorns comparable to small spikes rather than actual thorns. They were all over the Forest, filling gaps in bushes and tangling around roots. Yet there were none that she could see. When she turned west, she paused.

Was that… Yes, it was. Two lines of brambes, woven around each other and over branches and bushes ran from her left to her right, at leg height and head height. There was no way that was a single vine. No, it really couldn’t be. A hoof to her right, she could see where two vines had been carefully tied around each other. Her head barely moved as she slowly looked up and down the vine, stopping when she saw a break in it.

The Alicorn walked over to the break and stepped through the gap, not immediately seeing anything different. There was no sudden fading of an illusion spell nor quick reveal of a building. It was just more forest. Then she looked down. Below her was a small trail of hoofprints where a pony, likely Dragon, had walked up and down the path. Starting to walk again, she followed the trail, aware of the Hunter following him.

It didn’t take long. Maybe only fifty hooves, but in the Everfree, the underbrush made it impossible to see that far. One moment she was walking and the next she had pushed her way through a tangle of branches, suddenly coming into a large clearing. To her left was a rough building made of roped together sticks with a leather tarp for a roof, the Hunter’s home. A few hooves from that was a piled collection of sticks and logs, likely a fire for the night. Several dozen hooves ahead of her the Forest gave way to a large, mostly quiet river that she had surprising trouble hearing, though her ears soon picked up what sounded like rapids from far to her left. To her right was nothing, just empty space where the Hunter likely planned to put something in the future.

“Good job, Luna. You noticed the little trap I set for some predators, though it isn’t as dangerous as I would like. You also noticed the trail and followed it to my home.” Dragon said from behind her and she could detect a sense of contentment from his voice.

“With the river, this place will be rather easy to find, even if I can’t teleport directly to it for some reason.” Luna said, a measure of pride tinting her voice. She was happy she passed his little test, even though it had most likely held no purpose in the slightest.

“Good for you and Celestia, then.” Dragon said with a smile. Looking up, he noticed it was still rather dark. The canopy here was far thinner than the Forest proper, with the side near the river completely missing a canopy, so it was most likely growing closer and closer to night. Walking over to the quick firepit he had built that morning, he pulled out his new firestarter and flicked the switch up, then tapped it to the wood. To his muted surprise and content delight, the wood instantly caught flame and began to slowly spread through the kindling to the other, larger chunks of wood.

“A Flame-Spark?” Luna mused quietly. “I remember when my sister showed me one not long after I returned. We had been discussing new applications to magical enchanting and I hadn’t believed her until she proved it to me. Before my banishment, non-Unicorns had to use flint or friction to start a fire.”

“I know both ways.” Dragon said with a nod. “But I bought this today to save time, and as a little insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“I won’t always have access to flint and might not have time for a friction-fire. If I’m in a pinch, this can start a fire instantly.” Dragon explained. “In any case, how long can you stay?”

“Not very.” Luna said apologetically. “Perhaps an hour or so before I have to depart and hold Night Court.”

“Perhaps I can see you raise the moon?” Dragon asked hopefully.

“Yes, I can stay that long.” Luna said with a happy smile, glad that he was interested. “It won’t be long now before it’s time, anyway.”

“Thank you.” The Hunter said. “I’ve heard tale of what it’s like to see you raise the moon but they were old stories, passed down from a millennium ago.”

“The Imperials remembered me?” Luna asked in shock, completely taken aback. Her own country had forgotten her over the long years, the idea of ‘Luna’ slowly replaced by the idea of ‘Nightmare Moon.’ To know that another country, one who owed no allegience to Equestria, remember her for who she was, it was astounding.

Dragon nodded. “Of course. You are the Spirit of Dusk. We couldn’t forget one of the beings we believe control the world, could we?”

“What about Nightmare Moon?”

“The Spirit of Darkness.” The Imperial replied simply.

“You consider the Nightmare a separate pony?” Luna asked in shock, physically recoiling.

“Yes.” Dragon said.

“You are wrong. I was Nightmare Moon, not somepony else. I wasn’t possessed, or replaced, or corrupted through mind control. I made the choice to revolt and betray Equestria, not another.” Luna said, though her voice wavered and threatened to break.

“Answer me this, Luna. Can you bring yourself to murder me in cold blood, right now?” Dragon asked slowly, turning to stare at her. The question shocked Luna to her core, the thought of killing him for no reason whatsoever forming a cold pit in her gut as disgust fought to make her lose her composure and make her sick.

“W-why would I?” Luna asked, fighting her revulsion.

“Because I called you ‘Luna,’ not ‘Princess.’”

“No, I couldn’t! Not for such a, a idiotic reason as that!” Luna exclaimed resolutely. “Maybe if you tried to assassinate me, but not for that. I asked you to call me ‘Luna.’ I can’t kill you”

“And yet Nightmare Moon would have.” Dragon said calmly, attempting to sum up an idea that was almost impossible to fully put into words. “Nightmare Moon would have killed me, and you won’t- can’t. Do you think that such a drastic change in personality, in conscience, in personality, belief, and soul, is not enough to constitute a change in being? You are so drastically different from who she is that you simply can’t be the same being. Perhaps you have the same past as her, but not the same future, the same personality, the same beliefs, you don’t even have the same body as her. You aren’t her.”

Luna stood in the dying sunlight, the warmth and light of the fire flickering across her coat as she stared at him, her face blank and unreadable. This stallion was so different than she had expected. When she had returned from her millennium-long imprisonment, everypony had considered her and Nightmare Moon to be one and the same. The Elements did it, Equestria did it, Celestia did it, and she did it. Nobles and commoners alike feared that she would revert back to her evil self all because they believed Luna and Nightmare were the same being, just with different desires and different levels of willingness to achieve her desires.

Yet now she learned that there was an entire nation of ponies who believed otherwise. An entire country, an Empire, of hundreds of thousands of ponies that believe Nightmare Moon is an entirely different being than Princess Luna. Ponies who never came to fear her over the thousand years simply because they were convinced that the Spirit of Dusk and Spirit of Darkness were not the same being. And here before her was one such pony, a stallion not at all hesitant to share his belief of her, his belief that she never fell into darkness and became evil but that another being took her over and used her for evil.

In a single meeting, this stallion had thrown her thousand year belief on Nightmare Moon out of the window with his simple, philisophical statement. Ignoring the oxymoron that was her own thought, she felt her eyes grow teary as she stared at him before she quickly jerked to the side. Suddenly, the heat of the fire was stiffling. The cold breeze felt icy cold, and the gentle crackle of the burning logs was deafening. She had to get out of there.

“I-I’m s-sorry, I h-have to go!” Luna stuttered out, quickly rising to her hooves.

She didn’t want to notice how Dragon was staring at her with a firm expression, his belief absolute. She didn’t want to notice the saddened understanding flickering in his eyes. She didn’t want to hear his parting words; “Good night, Luna. Know that you are always welcome here, and in the Empire, no matter what the world says.”

With a quick yet bright flash of light, the Night Maiden was gone, leaving the Hunter to stare into the fire in silence, contemplating how Luna had reacted to what he said and what his culture believed.

Author's Note

Yet another chapter of what's quickly becoming my favorite story I've written, mostly due to it being original- or as original as a fanfic can get- since there's no crossover element in this one. Don't hesitate to leave a comment with your thoughts because I enjoy reading them.