Luna guards Equestria under the blanket of darkness, just as her elder sister watches over the kingdom under the grace of the sun. While everypony sleeps under her moon, Luna remains vigilant through the night in search of nightmares and anything that may harm her little ponies in the physical realm.

At least, she should be. While her first task of the night—watching over the Dream Realm in search of ponies suffering through night terrors—is put off to the side, she wanders around Ponyville in the physical realm in search of a certain terror residing in the peaceful town.

Just gazing upon his face causes rage to bubble in the cockles of the princess’s heart. The “angel/demon hybrid” known as Lavey may have everyone wrapped around his claw, but Luna knows better than to trust the words of a hell-spawn. He could just be biding his time to strike once he has gained this world’s trust.

Memories of the machinations of the demon that took residence in Luna's body when she was Nightmare Moon resurface from the back of her mind, where she had promised to keep them locked away. The feeling of having a demon dwell within her, guiding her to make such brash decisions has haunted her every waking moment with non-stop regret. She vows that she will not allow a similar fate to befall Equus again.

The Princess of the Night nears the Golden Oak Library where Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and that accursed demon reside. She perches on a nearby cloud and gazes into the doorway leading from the inside to the balcony on the second story. She keeps an eye on the doorway, expectant of the creature to try and escape to wreak havoc. The second he steps out and unfurls his wings, Luna will eviscerate him on the spot.

Soon, as expected, from the library emerges the beast in his dastardly glory. Luna unfurls her wings and steels herself in preparation to take the monster down. However, she waits, still hesitant on whether to eviscerate this creature or not. He could just be trying to get some fresh air for all she knows. If he were to be destroyed without giving the princess a proper reason, she won't hear the end of it from Celie or Twilight, both of whom seem content around the creature.

Lavey closes the door behind him and stands on the balcony. He doesn’t unfurl his wings to take flight, nor does he conjure some occult spells to devastate the land. Instead, he drops to his knees and fold his arms over the rail of the balcony to lay his chin upon.

He simply gazes out into the darkness as if contemplating something. From where Luna is perched, she takes notice that the hybrid’s face doesn’t show sadistic glee or any sign of plotting mischief; he seem sorrowful and depressed. But what does a creature like him have anything to be depressed about? He has everypony wrapped around his claw and it would be far to easy to go ahead and destroy this world, but he doesn't.

Hoping to reveal his true intentions, Luna leaps from her cloud and flutters over to the demon, just landing a few feet behind him on the balcony. Even with the clacking of her hooves touching the ground, the hybrid doesn’t take notice—or maybe he does and thinks he may have the element of surprise.

“Well, well, well,” Luna condescendingly greets. “What have we here?”

Lavey doesn’t jump or act startled at all. He continues to rest on his knees, completely ignoring the princess’s tone and her advancement. Luna is left even more befuddled than before. He should be ready to attack or at least flee, knowing that he’s been caught...doing something, yet he doesn’t move.

“H-hello?” Luna whispers. She edges a bit closer to the creature, while making sure to maintain a safe distance in case he lashes out.

She immediately shoots back the moment Lavey lifts his hand into the air and manifests a blazing red portal above his palm. From the gateway, a small red vial drops into his open claws, which he uncorks and takes a swig of the contents within. This is surely enough evidence for the princess to put this monster six feet under. It could be some strenght-enhancing serum for all she knows.

“Lavey!” Launa calls out in a sterner, more authoritative tone. At last, the hell-spawn turns his head back to meet the princess eye to eye. “What do you think you are doing, hell-spawn?”

The hybrid holds up his red vial, shaking the contents within. “Drinking,” he blatantly replies.

“Drinking what exactly?” the princess demands.

“Booze.”

Luna raises a confused brow at the hybrid and stares at the vial. She knows booze is a slang term for alcoholic beverages but she hadn’t anticipated the beast to be getting himself drunk. She had assumed it was simply some sort of strength-enhancing serum he would use to conquer the world with. But...alcohol?

“What do you want, Luna?” the hybrid asks. “If you’re looking to accuse me of some crime in order to execute me, too bad. I haven’t done jack shit. Please, just leave me alone.”

His voice clearly projects solemnity and sadness. His eyes look cold and lifeless as if he's lost someone dear to him, and grief eats away at his soul. Luna isn’t familiar with the signs of depression but is certain this attitude isn’t normal to have. Drinking away by himself, rejecting her presence, his physical appearance; it’s a clear sign that his soul is in turmoil.

She doesn’t know why but she feels some compassion in her heart for the creature. She involuntarily approaches him and hesitantly takes a seat next to him, still staying a good distance away in case this may be some ruse to make her drop her defenses. Lavey doesn’t bat her an eye but continues to drink the alcoholic contents from the bottle in his claws. He's already depleted nearly half the vial and, although it may contain just a quarter pint of alcohol, the venomous concoction must pack quite a punch if it's sealed in a small bottle.

“Are... are you alright, Lavey?” Luna finally asks.

"Never fucking better," the hybrid replies, his words slightly slurry. "I just... I-I already had my 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and I got to make plenty of nice nice friends. Did you know ponies in this town are really trustworthy? Th-they were scared of my face and now they’re not. Twilight's been a really big help with helping me get adjusted to this little town. So little, so...peaceful..."

Luna should take her leave and leave Lavey be. He's obviously becoming tipsy from the strong brew and it's only going to result in him screaming at the regal all night. At least she knows he's not a threat to Equus—at least, not exactly.

"Luna, how...how do you do it?" Lavey drunkenly inquires.

The Princess of the Night looks over at the demon and notices tears running down his cheeks. Veins are visible within his dark sclera, turning it a bloody shade of red. His face is contorted with pain as if his soul is being choked by fear. Luna's never seen any creature, let alone one of demonic origin, look so miserable. Something in her heart compels her to stay by his side and talk him through his pain, even if her mind is firing off warning signals.

"D-do what?" Luna asks, unsure of where this is going.

"How do you and Celie live, knowing you're immortal and everyone around you will just...fade away?"

That stings Luna right in the heart. Of course, immortality is both a blessing and a curse. When inflicted with mortal wounds or if one is perhaps cut in half, one can regenerate with ease and continue a fight. However, it would also mean one will outlive those who surround them. Everything and everypony will crumble to dust one day and blow away into the wind, leaving the immortal lonely and forever with a gaping hole in their heart.

Memories of ponies Luna's left to suffer at the hooves of Death, those who were just born one day and were suddenly whisked away in the blink of an eye, run through her mind. A single tear escapes her eye and cascades down her cheek.

"I honestly don't know, Lavey," Luna somberly responds. "I've lamented the loss of my parents, friends I have made in my younger years, and some I considered family for years. They were all lost to time and now rest under our hooves, their souls finally asleep."

Lavey sniffles a bit, probably from Luna's tale or from his own festering sorrow, and speaks. "I just *hic* made some new friends, got to enjoy a party with creatures I *hic* just met, and got to have fun for the first time in two hundred years. It was all a great, big, fucking mistake, thinking I could be *hic* friends with mortals without thinking about losing them *hic* in the next century. I'll just be all alone again!"

In his sorrowful, drunken rage, Lavey chucks the half-empty bottle of alcohol into the night sky, never to be seen again. He falls backward, slamming his head on the floor, but it doesn't phase him in the slightest. His lamentation has drowned out all external pain and feeling, allowing him to wallow in grief.

“Do you not have friends back in Hell?” Luna questions. “Being a member of royalty, I’d assume you’d have some companions.”

“Bah! Being a member of royalty *hic* means nothing. Everyone *hic* respects you too much to even literally stand next to you. Always being adored, always *hic* being feared, always having to build relationship because you have to and not *hic* because you want to. I have no friends. I probably never will have any friends.

“Everywhere I go, creatures banish me from their worlds without *hic* letting me get even a word in, all because of my demonic heritage. I’ve traversed the cosmos in search of a place I could *hic* call home and escape the chaos and confusion of the political life—most importantly, *hic* I want to live in a place where I can make some friends.

“I’ve found some. Can you believe that?” he chuckles. “I actually *hic* managed to find friends who haven’t chased me out of their world. But they’ll die...and *hic* leave me alone again. And I just think to myself, why even try anymore? If *hic* I make friends with mortals and they fade away while I’m still here, why bother?”

"Lavey," Luna whispers, "death is a part of life, I'm afraid. Just as when the sun drives my darkness into hiding or when my night swallows up Celestia's light, these cycles are a part of life. Even the smallest creatures nor the largest worlds are exempt from destruction or creation. I live, knowing that I'll lose somepony in the process, but that doesn't mean I should cut myself off from the rest of the world. For if you only look at others and see them lying still in their graves one day, you won't see their souls prancing joyfully in life.

“You will lose those around you, that is certain, but you must understand that where is joy, there is sadness. But where there is sadness, there is still going to be joy. Where there is death, there is a new life waiting for you. Where there is despair, there is hope to get you through the day. Life is not a one-way mirror. You have to look through both ways to see the bigger picture and to truly appreciate existence as a whole.”

Lavey sits back up, wipes away a tear, and looks the princess in the eyes. His grief is all but gone but it's a good improvement from where he once was. His lip twitches as he whimpers silently. To think that the Princess of the Night had originally wanted to terminate this...hybrid creature from existence, to prevent him from harming anypony she cared about—when in reality, he needs to be prevented from harming himself.

Out of sisterly instinct, Luna embraces the sobbing hell-spawn with her hooves and wings, allowing him to shed tears down her back. He hugs her back, his taut arms wrap around her slender figure and hold her dearly. His body feels preternaturally warm in the midst of the crisp, night air. Luna revels in this heat, enjoying this moment as her own worries and sorrows melt away like ice upon a warm stone.

"Do you feel better, Lavey?" Luna asks.

The hybrid oddly doesn't respond. He no longer holds Luna tightly to his bosom; in fact, his arms have gone completely slack to his sides. Luna pulls back to see the hybrid already passed out cold, either from exhaustion or from the alcohol finally sedating him. Luna doubts he will retain her proverbial words the moment he awakes in the morning...but there's a good chance he might.

Carefully, Luna ignites her horn and levitates the slumbering hell-spawn, cradling him as she carries him back into the library. As she makes her way back into the bedroom on the bottom floor, the princess sets Lavey in Twilight's bed, just barely off to the side to make space for the purple unicorn.

"Sweet dreams, dear Lavey," the Alicorn of the Night whispers. "I'll make sure your rest is peaceful." She closes the door behind her and flies off into the night, knowing that Equestria is safe in the claws of this creature—at least, with Twilight and her friends nearby to comfort him and guide him.

Author's Note

Last chapter before diving on into the main story. Up next is the start of the Canterlot Wedding! How will Lavey fare against the Queen of the Changelings and the whole invasion?