Arthur turned to the door, his face paling, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. He could barely contain the trembling in his legs as he left the room with hurried, agitated steps. He couldn't bear the weight of the princesses' gazes; he felt like they were judging him, as if they were expecting more from him than he himself knew he was capable of giving. He stepped outside, and found an empty balcony where he stood until he was in the moonlight.

There, for the first time since his arrival, Arthur stopped being sarcastic, stopped pretending. He collapsed onto the floor of the balcony, his back against the railing, staring up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, but they didn't offer him the comfort they used to. He felt defeated, unable to continue the charade he had maintained all this time. He let out a sigh, closing his eyes as the pain of self-recrimination washed over him.

Then, the soft sound of hooves came closer. Arthur didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was. Princess Luna's presence was unmistakable.

“Arthur,” Luna said quietly, sitting down beside him with solemn patience. “What's wrong with you? Why do you feel this way?”

Arthur was silent for a moment, but he knew there was no point in hiding what he felt any longer. Luna deserved an honest answer. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the stars before speaking.

“You don't understand, Luna. Everything they say I did, all those stories of escaping Ponyville and facing Pinkie... it sounds like something to be admired, something great, like it was a victory. But... it wasn't. Every single thing I did was a defeat.” Her words were harsh, filled with a sadness she could barely hide.

Luna remained silent, letting Arthur continue.

“When I got to Ponyville, I froze. “I lost control of the situation from the very first moment, and every attempt to escape was one failure after another. Even when I thought we had gotten the fragment… I felt good, for a moment. I thought I had finally achieved something. But it was just a lie. We lost it in a matter of minutes and I ended up running for my life.”

Arthur gritted his teeth, his hooves shaking as he brought one to his face, trying to hold back the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

“And you know what’s the worst?” he continued “I thought I had beaten Pinkie, that I had somehow bested her at her own game. But no… She was just playing with me. I was a toy for her. The fragment… I lost it from the start. I ran with a bag full of rocks, thinking I was doing something right. I lost my teammates, I lost the fragment, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I just lost.”

Luna watched him intently, her eyes reflecting a mix of understanding and compassion.

“And when I managed to get out of Ponyville, it wasn’t because I was brave, it was because I ran away cowardly. I left the others behind… and then I got lost in a forest for days, wandering aimlessly. When I got to Canterlot, I tried to do something to earn a little money. I put on a show… I did my best. But in the end, what did I get? A couple of coins. Even with a self-playing guitar, courtesy of a companion I abandoned in Ponyville, I couldn’t do anything decent. How pathetic can that be?”

The silence became palpable between the two.

“I’m not a hero,” Arthur whispered, his voice breaking. “I’m not a winner, or a good person, or even enough for myself. Every time I think I’m doing something right, I screw it up. I can fake a smile, make jokes, pretend everything is okay… but I’m just pretending, barely keeping myself together. I’m not what they need... I’m just a loser.”

Luna looked at him for a few more moments before leaning in closer, sighing softly before beginning to speak, her eyes reflecting deep empathy.

"I'd like to say I know what you're going through, but that would be a lie," she said softly, her voice calm, but full of emotional weight. "Even though our stories may seem similar, each of us lives our struggles differently."

Her eyes lifted to the moon, shining faintly in the distance. A small, sad smile formed on her face as she continued.

"I am the princess of the night, guardian of the moon and protector of dreams. I have been fulfilling that duty for hundreds of years." Her words had a melancholic tone, as if each one carried with it centuries of memories. "But, no matter how hard I tried in everything I did, I felt like no one cared. The night I brought to you with all my love… no one appreciated it. I felt alone and unappreciated."

Luna closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the mistakes of the past. His expression darkened, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

"I threw a tantrum. I let the darkness influence me and hurt the ponies I had sworn to protect. I hurt my own sister, forcing her to face me, even though it caused her pain." He paused, pressing his lips together as if reliving the weight of that moment. "I lost as Luna... and as Nightmare Moon as well."

He opened his eyes, looking straight at her, a mix of sadness and understanding in his gaze.

"It's true that our stories have commonalities like we've both lost, but I'm not going to pretend that I can fully understand what you feel." Luna tilted her head slightly, showing respect for Arthur's internal struggle. "Each of us faces our challenges in unique ways, even if the circumstances seem similar."

A spark of tenderness appeared in her gaze as her voice took on a warmer, more comforting tone.

"However, there is one thing I know about you: despite facing defeat after defeat, you keep moving forward. Even though your smile is forced at times, you haven't stopped. Losing doesn't mean you're a failure," she said, firmly but gently. "On the contrary, every defeat is an opportunity to get up, learn, and try again, even if you might fall again."

Luna paused, measuring her words before continuing, as if each sentence had to be precise and meaningful.

"I don't know if it's true that you're not from this world," she confessed, her face showing uncertainty, but also trust in Arthur, "but what I do know is that you're not like the others, and that's something important."

Luna walked a little closer, her posture upright but calm, as if she wanted to offer support without invading Arthur's space.

"Pretending everything is okay can seem easier sometimes," she admitted, lowering her gaze slightly. "I did it for a long time, and eventually that weight took its toll on me."

She looked up again, her eyes showing a rare vulnerability.

"That's why I know how dangerous it is to pent up all those emotions without bringing them out into the light," she said, her tone softer now. "No matter where you come from, you shouldn't hide who you really are. Pretending to be something you're not won't get you anywhere good. I despised myself and discredited everything I did before I became Nightmare Moon, and it was that that dug my own grave."

Luna took a step closer to Arthur, a flash of urgency in her gaze, but her tone remained calm.

"And now, Arthur, you're doing the same," she pointed out gently. "You're despising yourself and belittling everything you've accomplished."

Her words echoed in the air, and after a moment of silence, she continued in an encouraging tone.

"You may see your actions as failures, but... what if you tried to see them from another perspective?" Luna gave a small smile, soft but genuine. "If you really did come to Equestria without knowing anything, you still made progress. You were in a strange world, trapped in a distorted town, but you didn't fall. You kept going, looking for a way to escape."

Her smile grew a little wider, as if she was remembering something positive.

"Despite facing a powerful being, you managed to slip away and, if only for an instant, you obtained the fragment," she said with admiration in her voice. "Even when your companions were caught, you didn't give up and kept running."

Luna stepped a little closer, her tone now filled with pride.

"And yes, you managed to survive days in an unknown forest until you found the way," she added, her tone firm but loving. "Even though your show in Canterlot didn't make you much money, you did manage to get something. Maybe it wasn't a huge haul, but you made others laugh, even in one of the worst situations Equestria has ever experienced."

She paused for a moment, gauging Arthur's reaction before concluding, calm determination in her eyes.

"You don't need to be a hero or a winner," she said with conviction. "You can fail as many times as necessary, but you should never give up or think that you didn't gain anything from it. It's all about how you see things, and more importantly, how you see yourself."

Luna bowed her head slightly again, in respect.

"I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to," she concluded, her final tone gentle but firm. "I just want to help ease what ails you, no matter what decision you make."

Arthur stayed silent as Luna spoke, his gaze lost among the stars. The princess’s words resonated within him, but at the same time, he fought the feeling of failure that had invaded him.

When Luna finished, Arthur let out a long sigh and, for a moment, said nothing. He just stared at the distant lights in the sky, as if searching for an answer among them. Finally, he broke the silence.

“It’s easy to say, you know?” he murmured, his voice still shaky. “Seeing things from another perspective, trying to learn from failures… it sounds so simple when you hear it from someone who’s been through the same thing. But when you’re there, when you feel like nothing you do makes sense, it’s like being stuck in a hole. No matter how hard you try to climb up, you just keep falling.”

Luna nodded, moving a little closer.

“I know,” she replied softly. “I never said it was easy. Sometimes, we just need someone to remind us that we're still moving forward, even if we don't see it at the moment.”

Arthur closed his eyes, resting his head on his front paws.

“I just... I don't know if I can keep pretending. I don't even know what I'm doing here.” He paused, his voice breaking a little. “I... I never asked for this, Luna. I didn't ask to be transported to another world, I didn't ask to be part of any epic quest or story. I just want to go back home, to my normal life, although I don't know if I really want that either.”

Luna looked at him with compassion, understanding the weight of his words. There was a deep truth in what he said, a truth she herself had known at one time.

“It's true, Arthur. Sometimes life takes us down paths we don't understand, paths we never asked to walk. But even in those moments, we find our own strength. You may not see it now, but you've already proven that you're stronger than you think.”

Arthur let out a bitter laugh, not taking his eyes off the sky.

“Strong…” he repeated, sarcastically “The only thing I’ve shown is that I’m good at running and hiding.”

Luna leaned slightly towards him, her tone now firmer, but filled with warmth.

“You’ve shown so much more than that. You’ve shown that, despite everything, you haven’t given up. You’re still here, Arthur, even when you think you’ve failed. You keep fighting. And that, in itself, is a kind of strength that many don’t have.”

Arthur didn’t answer right away, but something in Luna’s words seemed to have struck a chord within him. He felt the weight of his defeats, but he was also beginning to see that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t been as useless as he thought.

“Maybe…” he muttered, almost to himself “Maybe I haven’t ruined everything… but I still don’t know if I can do what they ask of me.”

Luna stood up and offered him a soft smile.

“You don’t have to make that decision now. Just remember that you are not alone, and that you can take as much time as you need to find your way. No matter what you decide, I will be here to help you.”

Arthur looked at her for the first time since they had started the conversation. Although he still felt lost, something about Luna’s calm presence gave him a small glimmer of hope.

“Just one more thing,” Arthur said in a careful tone, “if hypothetically they would believe me that I am not from this world, is there any chance they could return me home?”

“The fragmentation took something from all of us with it, in my case and in my sister’s, we don’t even have enough power to offer you an option to return home. Sorry,” Luna replied, in a sad tone.

“So while there is all this problem limiting your power, I have no choice but to wait…” she said with a sigh.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Don’t worry, I had that in mind... Thank you, Luna,” Arthur said quietly, his words sincere. “I guess that’s all I can say for now.”

Luna nodded before taking her leave.

“That’s more than enough.”

Author's Note

Arthur finally put aside the jokes, sarcasm, pranks and absurdities that he used as a wall to avoid thinking about all the failures he made since he arrived.

Arthur and Luna have a conversation, under the light of a starry night where they share their experiences and failures.

I know there are several chapters (not to say almost all or all) where the focus is on comedy and absurdities, but I think what makes an emotional moment special is when the comic character stops being one for a brief moment.

I hope you liked it.

Thanks for reading.