Author's Notes:

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory." R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

Titus lay reclined on the angular roof of his room - as he had been for the better part of several hours - his fingers intertwined under the back of his head as a makeshift pillow and the cool night air of Canterlot turning his breath into light swirling clouds that quickly dissipated as he gazed at the multitude of stars that graced the night sky. Beside him, awaiting the visitor that he suspected would be joining him shortly, was a folded up blanket as well as a special metal cylinder Titus had brought out of storage and along for the trip.

These stars were special, though. Unlike his own universe, where stars were burning balls of gas light years away and usually surrounded by planets - inhabited or not - and their moons, here they were different; they seemed to dance more enthusiastically and shone brighter without detracting from the light of their companions. These stars have souls.

A billowing-yet-tangible puff of cloud (another of the Equestrian oddities) floated into his vision to block part of the constellations from view, getting a sour look from the human until the grey-blue face of the Lunar Princess peeked over the edge to look down at him, "Friend, might we join you? This would have been a night you shared your stories, had it not been for your temporary relocation to the Palace."

Titus patted the blanket beside him, "I thought I might have company, so I brought a seat up with me hours ago."

"Oh," something about her friend's demeanor was off. Does trouble still linger? "Our apologies for being late, then. The spell to conjure a riding cloud was lengthy to cast and egress without rousing our sleeping sister proved equally challenging." She floated down and dismounted the cloud, her landing a bit wobbly though the waiting blanket provided ample cushioning. Kneading the cloth with her hooves for several quiet moments before she lay herself down and wiggled her way deeper into its warmth.

"Earlier this evening a friend I grew up with... I sensed his connection to the Force fade. I can still feel the void where he was, though he has become one now," Titus finally spoke, the sudden words jarring Luna from the length of peaceful quiet they had shared, "The disturbance ripples out still."

Hearing that he was forcing himself to talk around a lump in his throat Luna adjusted herself slightly so she could make contact as a sign that she was there if he needed her.

"I remember him, though in reality he was more of a familiar face than a friend; something I will regret from this day onward," he continued, taking the hoof on his shoulder in an appreciative hand, "He was a character of sorts. His imagination was only outshone by how full of life he was; he's what sparked my love of adventure and exploration. I guess he's a major reason I'm where I am now, in a strange... convoluted sort of way. If not for him, I wouldn't have been out exploring uncharted space when Twilight's portal gobbled me up, though I wish I could be back out there," he pointed to the stars, imagining they were a bit more like the traditional ones he was accustomed to, "If I was out there maybe I could have done something, perhaps gotten message to him tell him how much of an impact he had on me."

The two lay on the roof in silence, neither one able or caring to track the passage of time.

Luna, developing a crick from craning her neck to look at the sky, rolled over onto her back and rested her head on the human's shoulder which was a position that proved much more comfortable for the star gazing. "Titus," the tone in her voice conveying an imminent inquiry as she thought over the events of that morning, "When you do get your ship operational again and if Twilight can reverse engineer a return portal for you, will you go back 'out there'?" She felt him shrug, a heavy sigh following shortly after that she understood to mean he still had to give it much thought. "It is just... I didn't want you to actually disappear, and if you had I would have found myself forever regretting what I had said this morning. I-" Luna gave the stars a searching look in hopes they would provide some way to eloquently word her thoughts though they provided no such aid, forcing her to bluntly express her feelings, "Though words fail me at the moment, the real reason I wanted to talk was to convey how much I wanted to be friends again."

"That's alright, Luna," a hand reached up to rub along her neck as the side of his head pushed into hers, the dampness of the cheek permeating her fur, "I have been, and always shall be, your friend."

The Lunar Princess summoned what magic she could spare from her reserves to create the beginnings of a new star that would forever shine above the skies of Equestria in memory of the being that had had a hoof or hand in bringing her such a wonderful friend.