Moondancer's Lament

Raven grumbled as he walked through the castle halls. After the Negotiations, Oleander gave the man a verbal dressing down. The unicorn claimed that his little bet was too risky and would lead to disaster. That was if he lost the bet, and even if he did, the man carefully worded it. Still, what else was he supposed to do? One month wouldn't give them time to do anything. Two months wasn't ideal, but it'll provide them with enough time to find Miasma and Calliphora. This will also give them time to counteract Chrysalis's throne by using Prince Seiker's notes.

If only that extent of his troubles. Raven was still preparing for the funeral; the statues and headstones he requested from Maud were still being worked on. Next, he would officially announce New Elria as a country and raise the flag. Of course, the announcement will cause a political shitstorm, and other nations will question the legitimacy of this claim. Also, he needed to create a functioning government with fair and just laws. Thankfully, Raven memorized the laws of Velder and will use those for New Elria (After modifying them.) Then he needed to create a council of some sort. No one man rules alone, but mortals are fickle. What is the solution to this problem? Nasods! They will act as a guideline and a fail-safe to prevent a total collapse of the government.

"Shit." Raven cursed quietly, remembering that he needed to be a father. Moon Charm needed training and guidance. He needed to spend more time with Xuez and help with his self-esteem issues. Oleander was hard to approach at the moment. The twins need to be taught self-control and restraint because he couldn't trust them not to blow up Memento without adult supervision. Cozy Glow... Where could he even start with the disturbed child? Amber is easy enough to deal with since she's busy learning starter spells. Then there was Jade. Raven smiled. He needed to cherish the moments he'll have with her because, before he knew it, she'll be all grown up.

Soon that smile disappeared. Raven thought about how he would reclaim the remaining floors of Memento. He didn't need any reports to tell him that going down there would be extremely dangerous, especially with the core leaking. "I can't go in there by myself. I need Oleander there with me and a Nasod." He crossed Maya off the list. In the event of his death, Maya would take over until a suitable replacement was found. "Maybe if-" His thoughts were cut off by the sound of sobbing.

Stopping in front of a wooden door, he could hear a mare sobbing. Deciding to take a peak, he slowly opens the door and sees Moondancer crying on a wooden crate. "I might as well see what's wrong." He thought before entering the room.

The mare's right ear swiveled at the sound of footsteps. Looking up, Moondancer saw the human approach."Go away!" She choked out before returning to her sobbing.

Stopping next to her, Raven offered the mare help. "Do you want to talk about it? And is it about Twilight Sparkle?" He wasn't good with this kind of stuff, but one of his own was suffering.

"No! And I don't want to talk about stupid Twilight!" She looked up at the Human and continued screaming. The Mare didn't care if he was one of the most dangerous creatures to be around. "Why do you even care?! You've suffered more than me. What I'm going through should mean nothing to you."

Raven's single eye softened at the mare's words. "Moondancer, my suffering does not invalidate yours. We all suffer through life in one way or another. Maybe I won't be able to understand fully, but I want to help you get through it." He grimaced and started rubbing his eyepatch. "Bottling your grief and anger will lead to disaster. So, let's talk."

Moondancer wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her sweater. She looked down at her hooves and thought about it. Okay, but don't tell anypony this. I mean it." She finally said. Raven nodded. So the mare began her tale on how Twilight Sparkle and she met as foals. " It wasn't just her I made friends with; there was also Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Twinkleshine. I didn't have many friends outside of school. I was a bit of an introvert. Well... I still am." Rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, she continued. "Then, one day, I thought I was ready to leave my shell. So I invited my closest friends, and Twilight didn't show up when the time came!" She yelled the last part.

Meanwhile, Raven sat there listening. While it seemed petty on the surface level, it was much deeper than that. "Twilight was someone significant to you." He said in understanding.

"That's right!" Moondancer agreed. "She was too busy studying and left town without saying goodbye.I" The tears came back in full force. "We were supposed to be friends! I was humiliated! I felt like I wasn't important. I never wanted to let myself be hurt like that again!" She wailed again.

Raven soothed her by rubbing her back with his hand. "I understand, putting your trust in someone and them turning their back on you." An image of Owen flashed in his mind briefly before being suppressed. He didn't want to become angry right now. He needed to help one of his little ponies. "But do you not have people who still love you? Like your other friends or family?"

This gave the mare pause. She thought about it and nodded. "I still have other ponies in my life." She sniffed. " Booksmart, Honey Lemon, and my sister, Morning Roast." Raven still found these naming conventions to be weird. "And maybe If I get in touch with Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Twinkleshine, we can be friends again?"

Raven smiles and nods. "Of course. But we still haven't gotten to the heart of the problem." He might sound like a hypocrite by saying this, but he had to. "I think you need to make amends with Twilight.

"You can't be serious!?" Moondancer looked aghast. "She's the reason why I'm like this!"

"I know, and what I say next shouldn't justify it." He kept rubbing her back, trying to keep her calm. " I don't believe Twilight did this out of malicious intent. I imagine being a student of Princess Celestia has some high expectations, and I believe she didn't want to disappoint her mentor." Raven let his words settle before continuing. "She probably threw herself into her work and forgot everything else. I know I did when I was younger. "

Moondancer didn't look convinced, so he continued. "I'm not delusional enough to believe everyone should be forgiven, but I'm asking you to try with Twilight. If you do find out, it was malicious intent, well." He shrugged. "Cut her out of your life, and move on. Pursuing revenge won't end well for anyone." He lifts his eye patch showing off his blind eye. "Believe me."

"I." She hesitated. "I'll try."

Raven removed his hand and leaned against the wall while Moondancer sat there in thought. They stayed like that in silence until Raven spoke up. "You know, I was like you when I was younger."

Moondancer's head snapped toward the Human, and she had wide eyes. "Really!?"

Raven nodded with a grin. "Not by choice but because people discovered I was born a commoner. I was shunned for my low-born heritage. So with little else to do, I threw myself into my studies. I even started thinking that the only friends I could make were some dusty old tomes. Then I had a class on mock siege warfare, and that's when I met. Seris, and Owen." For once, he could say that name without becoming angry. "My first friends, and for a while, I was happy. I became a captain, Seris and I started dating, and Owen rose through the ranks. " That grin of his became pained. "I wish it stayed like that."

"Raven?" Moondancer asked. She looked concerned as the light faded from Raven's eye.

Shaking his head, Raven waved his claw. "Sorry about that, just old memories. Let's talk about something else, like about some old tomes I've read." He said, trying to change the subject. "Ever read about magical anomalies and the trouble they can cause when they appear?"

Moondancer instantly perked up at the topic. She nodded vigorously. " Of course! Starswirl wrote at least seven books about them! They can distort time and space, send ponies into a different dimension, or bring in otherworldly creatures. Of course, these usually disappear after a few minutes, seeing how this dimension isn't suited for them. But do you know how they're caused?"

Raven nods. "An unstable amount of mana gathering in one area."

Moondancer beamed at the Human. "That's right!"

And that's how it went; they talked for hours about books they'd read. Raven was happy to have someone to talk with and forget about his worries for a bit. At the same time, Moondancer was thrilled to have somepony else who shared her love for books and studying. Knowingly or unknowingly, they became friends.

Author's Note

Alright got a half chapter out! Sorry if this wasn't what you were expecting. Just something to hold you guys over.

Not much else to say! Thanks for reading!