"-and I will be spending the night with Zecora,"

"She's not safe there, Luna. We need to do something-"

"No," she told him for the eleventh time he had interrupted her. "She can handle herself on her own. Now do you want to argue and spend the rest of the day worrying or should you just get back to sleeping and me with my duties?" she asked, obviously annoyed at that point.

"I'm not in the mood to sleep anymore," he groaned.

"The sooner you get to sleeping, the sooner the sun rises and the sooner Celestia would come back. Heavens, Discord, it's as if it weren't her that risked her life defending her kingdom and here you are worrying because she's stuck in another town. She'll be fine, you'll be fine, relax."

Discord groaned again. Now that he's awake he doesn't feel like sleeping. Even if he tried however, worry reeked from him. "....I'll just stay up instead."

"Discord...." she said. Sometimes she doesn't know what to do with him. "You can't stay awake until Celestia comes back."

"Well you're doing it."

"I'm doing my duty and as I said, I'd be taking the bed in the morning. Would you like to spend your mornings being drowsy whilst waiting for my sister and watching me sleep? No, right?"

Luna shook her head as she remembered of her duties. She had to wake Discord up to tell the news lest he complain about a late update on her sister's situation. She walked back to her mat of soft pillows and scrolls at the side, and plopped down comfortably again. She put Celestia's letter aside for then.

Overall, a duty as the Princess of the night isn't to say hard, although for a mare that has been doing it for thousands of years it's not much. Although that may be the case, she still had to focus hard enough. Casting her spell to enter the dream realm isn't easy, also considering the fact that she enters into the other realm mentally, not physically. Therefore, she's still quite there, on her pile of pillows, it's just having her eyes and part of her mind in a different world. Like standing in a middle of a portal sideways.

She closed her eyes, and slowly, she casted her spell. The blue light enveloped her from the horns to her head and down to her body as she felt herself dragged away and back into the dream realm.

Discord sighed. Luna ignored him. Typical.

But, he took what she said and repeated it over and over in his head. She'll be fine, she said. She'll be fine, she'll be fine, she'll be fine......

But, every time he did repeat it, it's always in that specific tone that she said it in. That annoyance in her voice. It's so familiar yet so....rare. Not to say that the Princess is rarely annoyed, but, she always has a specific tone for him.

True, he was annoying. But, this time he just couldn't help himself. It was.....Celestia and....Ponyville....all that. He just couldn't help but keep his feeling of uneasiness....

...and....

....oh.

He.....after he came to Canterlot, rarely had he been away from Celestia's side. Was it.....fear? Loneliness?

.....huh....

...he never really thought about himself.

He looked to the occupied Princess, whose job and how it works makes it look like she's a professional sleeper with her eyes closed and focused. He smiled, tried to, but dropped it. As she was occupied, for once, he'd.....

He got off the bed and left the room, only the clicking souns of the door closing was the last to leave.

The girls ran for cover as the gas creeped closer. Rarity bit her lip as Fluttershy flapped her wings frantically to the tempo of her hooves. Tear gas. Not only could it impair your vision and daze you, it could blind you permanently.

Fluttershy guided them to a nearby burrow where she remembered a bunny family used to live in. As the burrow was build in high earth, it acted as a small one sided trench for them. They sat down beside each other, panting from the run and hoping the gas wouldn't reach them. Her Highness often ordered her guards to triple or quadruple the amount of gas if necessary. Indeed, 'necessary'.

Fluttershy panted. "...w-what now?"

"......it's best if we....w-wait it out," Rarity replied. Her hooves ached from the run. They were covered in all sorts of dirt and dust from running. Rarity tried to peer up from their little trench.

Fluttershy panted and looked at her friend. It's....she envied her. How she was able to still be strong and confident of her choices after.....everything. Rarity......lost everything.

She looked down at her hooves. The dirt. The dust. The grime. She wanted to tear up. When will this end. She...she felt like she pulled Rarity down with her. Somehow. Rarity....

....she could've went with Applejack back to Appleloosa. Or wherever they went. But, Rarity chose to stay. With her. She was....stubborn. She couldn't bear to leave her animals behind. And Rarity took pity on her. She felt like she pulled her friend into this situation. To be stuck with her in this crazy town on this crazy land they once called home.

She looked to Rarity, eyeing her. Why.

Rarity caught her glances. "Hmm?"

"I......I'm....." Fluttershy looked down to her hooves, shaking her head. "N-nevermind."

It's been years. And she felt like pinching herself for not being able to apologise. For this. But, she knew Rarity. Her responds would surely be something close to 'Its her choice' and 'she didn't drag her into anything'. It was always like that. Always. She.....she felt less of a friend the more the words lingered on in her chest. But, she had no guts to spill them. Rarity gave her the look of concern, but didn't question as further.

As time went on, the two waited out for the trails of smoke and gas to subside. The sun setted slowly. Celestia, she thought. Why couldn't you give us more time. They were hungry as well, but their hunger had to wait for now as they decided to trek home after awhile, fearing that being out for much longer could get them hunted.

Author's Note

Chapter was short but I was busy this week. Soz, here's a slice of pizza as compensation.