It had been a rather anxious night for Thomas and company. He had rather enjoyed their usual routine, unlike Talon who kept mumbling about a desire to shake things up. However, a source of worry for both of them had been when they were called to Luna for her ‘release’ of stress. The first two trips went swimmingly, but during their third summons the Princess had seemed a bit off. She barely said a word in greeting as she simply ordered them straight to their positions. The act itself also seemed notably more angry than usual. Things only seemed worse when she called them in for an unusual fourth visit. Worse yet, she wouldn’t give an explanation why.

At Talon’s suggestion, Moonlight had already been dismissed. She didn’t need to be present for what Talon described as the less well known aspect of concubine duties. As they sat alone in Luna’s chambers, having only eaten a small snack in place of dinner as Luna’s foul mood had soured their appetite; neither could bring themselves to speak. Thomas tried to read, but found he’d barely made down the first page as his mind was too preoccupied with imagining what could have happened to his beloved.

The door was slowly pushed open as Luna entered the room. She said not a word in greeting as she quickly disrobed and levitated her regalia and clothing to its respective locations. When they saw her smiling a smile that didn’t look quite right, both concubines exchanged worried looks. Once she was fully nude and the enchantment removed from her mane and tail, Luna unceremoniously dropped to the bed. The springs audibly strained under her weight as she shielded her eyes with her hand and let out a long sigh.

“Luna,” Thomas almost squeaked as he cautiously approached around the side of the bed. When the mare gave no response, he glanced back at the griffon following close behind him who gave an encouraging nod. “Luna.” He said with a bit more volume.

“What do you want?” Luna grumbled with a sneer, still shielding her eyes.

“Luna,” Thomas began nervously. Back on his old Earth, almost a lifetime ago, he would normally flee to another room when his parents got like this and just play video games until they calmed down. And while he did feel the compulsion, he held fast to his resolve and just kept walking until he was directly beside the much larger and more powerful goddess. “I’m here for you.” He said gently. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

“Why?” Luna asked drearily. “Why art thou here?”

Uh oh. Old timey talk. This must be really bad. Thomas gulped, uncertain what he was really being asked. “B-because I want to.”

“Is that so?” Luna finally uncovered her eyes and turned a leering glare at the human, causing him to freeze in fear under her icy stare. However, her glare soon shifted to the griffon. “We know why thou art here.” She said accusingly. “Thou servith the glorious sun to keep an eye on we, her troublesome younger sibling.”

Talon didn’t answer, certain this was not the time to argue.

“But Thomas…” Luna trailed off. “Tiny little foreigner. Why art thou here? Hmm. Why wouldst thou prefer to stand in these darkened hallways when the glory of the solar wing just sits there, waiting for the plebeians to bask in its warmth?”

“B-because I think purple’s prettier?” Thomas joked. It just popped in his head, and he knew it was a risk, but he still hoped against hope that it might be enough to lighten the mood.

“BAH-HAHAHAHA!” Luna bellowed a deep belly laugh in the Royal Canterlot Voice, causing the very furniture to shake with its force. “Is that so?” Luna eventually asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

Alright. Thomas thought as he smiled confidently. If that worked, maybe she’ll go for a second. “Also, insert joke about the superiority of the royal moon.”

Though Luna’s chambers were enchanted to be sound proof, it appears no one had quite accounted for the powerful vibrations of her latest guffaw that shook the armor and even teeth of the guards standing outside. Talon rushed about the room trying to save as many breakables from vibrating off their stands and onto the floor. Even if he had the reflexes to help, Thomas was too busy being brought to his knees by the earth shattering tones. His very bones rattled with the level of force he was fairly certain was used to train astronauts. If he still had fillings, they would no doubt vibrate right out of his teeth. Thankfully, the universe hadn’t decided to kill the human by having a sexy moon goddess laugh his insides to paste. Instead, his suffering would be drawn out as Luna’s volume petered out and she regained her breath. While Talon set the breakables aside and assured the guards at the door that they weren’t under attack, Luna turned a grateful smile on the human.

“Thank you, dearest Thomas.”

As the echoes of her great horselaugh (because that really is a synonym) faded from his body, Thomas eventually felt confident enough to stand. Once at his full height, he found his beloved with arms stretched out wide, beckoning him forward. Reflex took hold and Thomas eagerly jumped into Luna’s embrace. His diminutive torso submerged between her massive breasts, giving him a full body hug while he could barely wrap his arms beneath her glorious orbs. He barely even noticed the arms wrapped tightly around his waist or the wings crossing behind him and sealing him in a dome of darkness. All that mattered to him at that moment was the soothing tone of Luna’s heartbeat, the sleep-inducing comfort of her soft warm fur, and the gentle hum of her voice as nuzzled the top of his head.

Noticing, Talon stepped out and quietly shut the door behind her. While the guards still looked worried, she let out a contented sigh and mumbled, “Go get ‘er, little buddy.”

It took a few minutes, but Luna eventually loosened her grip on her tiny lover and allowed him to see the light once more. She briefly got to enjoy his smile before it turned to a look of horror as he saw the tears falling from her eyes. While her reflex was to dry them, hide away her pain, the look of determination in the human’s eyes reminded her that she wasn’t supposed to do that anymore, not after the last time. “T-Thomas.” She sniffled.

“Luna.”

“If… if things had been different; if you had appeared in Tia’s room instead of mine…” Luna grimaced. “Do you think… do you think you would…” But she looked away, unable to bring herself to finish. Rationally she knew why this scenario was preposterous, but she still needed to ask.

“Still be the luckiest human in Equestria?” Thomas finished for her, smiling as she turned back to him with surprise. “I honestly couldn’t imagine any place I’d rather be than right here.” He said, emphasizing his point by pressing under her breasts and causing her to squeak. “Why?” He inquired much more seriously.

“D-do you think my return has caused more harm than good?” Luna asked with a grim hope.

Thomas’ worry slowly shifted to anger as the source of Luna’s distress unfolded. “Who the fuck said that?” What piece of shit would even make you ask that? Thomas wondered as his mind played out scenarios of what he’d do upon meeting anyone who would upset Luna like this.

Luna had a brief snicker at his foreign word, but continued her explanation. She told of how at this evening’s night court, while everything had begun as smoothly and dully as she had become used to, things took a turn when a mare, by the name of Duchess Perfect Measure, voiced how the very establishment of the night court, along with new evening hours across the city, had caused massive disruptions across all Equestria. When countered with the argument of the economic boom of stores running longer hours, the mare argued how the boom had been grossly exaggerated and that they had already begun to see a decline, completely counterbalancing any benefits that might have been seen.

It hadn’t taken long before the throne room had balkanized. So many were shouting grievances that they’d apparently been holding back on because they’d felt intimidated. Some argued the how the new operational hours had caused many businesses to go under. Others claimed that the influx of bat ponies to the city had caused an increase in crime rates. This caused the bat ponies present to start a contest to see who could shout the worst obscenities the loudest. Luna tried to maintain order, backed by many of the city’s more reasonable leaders and their own statistics talking about the positives of the new night hours. However, that only encouraged the various grievance factions to rally behind Perfect Measure as she came up with her own statistics that made her side look equally legitimate. And all of this before Thomas and Talon’s third summons.

After they returned from a short recess, things resumed with a bit more civility. Attentive Eye confirmed what Luna had suspected, that this was all a power play. As Fancy Pants pointed out, while an unsettling number of business had gone under in these last few months, they had only done so because they refused the extended operating hours and the hiring of additional ponies to compensate. The stallion went on to suggest that all of these failing businesses, coincidentally, were members or associates of the Measure Association. Attentive Eye whispered her agreement with Fancy Pants that this, along with many of the other mentioned problems, could all be traced back to ponies like Perfect Measure, of whom there were sadly many, who refused to get with the times.

It all came to a head when Perfect Measure proposed a new initiative, one her Association would help draft, to pull back the extended operating hours, exert limitations on where bat pony would be allowed to live within the city limits, and a whole host of things with the stated intent of ultimately disbanding the night court and all the problems it has caused. And as if to add insult to injury, Perfect Measure concluded by saying it was time they returned to the stability that Equestria had prospered under when they had only one Princess. The proposal failed to accumulate the needed votes, but only barely. That was when Luna summoned her concubines a fourth time. But the worst part of all came immediately after, when ponies, many of whom had been on Luna’s side just a few minutes ago, mumbled amongst themselves about how they should have known Nightmare Moon was still finding ways to cause trouble.

Thomas was shaking with anger in Luna’s grasp. “You can’t actually believe that crap she was spewing,” Thomas insisted. “Like you, Attentive, and Fancy all said, this was clearly a power play. She’s playing off their fears of stuff they don’t understand.”

“And she does it quite well,” Luna said sullenly. “The evidence she put forth was difficult to deny. And the way so many rallied behind her, we had no idea our return would cause such… perhaps t’would have been better if we had simply resigned ourselves to the background.”

“Shut up!” Thomas barked, causing Luna to flinch. “I won’t… I can’t let you think like that. You’re the god damned Princess of the moon. You’ve lived thousands of years longer than any of them. You’ve seen and done things that they can’t even imagine. So why the hell are you listening to them talk shit about stuff they clearly know nothing about?”

Luna blinked. It had been forever since any but her sister had addressed her with such a tone. “Your words are most appreciated, dearest Thomas.” She said evenly. “However, you do not truly understand what it is to lie in not only the shadow of an elder sibling, but the terrible sins of your past.”

Thomas just glared back at Luna. “You’re right.” He said flatly. “I’ve never had any siblings to compare myself to and I’ve never done anything that could qualify as a sin. In fact, I’ve never really done anything that qualifies as anything.” He spat. “All my life I’ve kept myself to the sidelines because I know, whenever that stupid human instinct to socialize kicks in, I end up pissing people off. I don’t really mean it, but I just don’t really know any other way to be. That’s why I started training myself to stop talking unless absolutely necessary.”

“Thomas?” Luna asked worriedly.

“I… I convinced myself that everything I did was wrong. When I got into fights at work, I eventually figured out that, while the other guys might have been a bit rude, it was only because I was being stubborn. Even when I was little I didn’t like people. I pictured myself as the victim of bullies like the kind you see on TV. But looking back, the guys I thought were making fun of me were just trying engage in normal male bonding, but I refused to see it like that.” He paused. “Worse, if I had known then what I know now about myself, I’d have probably made the same mistakes, but in different ways.”

“Thomas,” Luna whispered gently. “What is it that you know about yourself that would have led to the same mistakes?”

Realizing that he’d said too much, Thomas knew there was no choice but to confess his deepest secret. “It’s called depression.” He said plainly. “It’s this condition I have.”

“Condition?” Luna asked with an alarmed tone. “We detected no such diseases in your initial scan!”

“It’s not a disease,” Thomas assured. “Depression is like a mood disorder caused by a fuckup of hormones in the brain. Most of the time I’m normal, but then there are moods where any time something bad happens… I get really down on myself. Then I get down on myself for feeling down, and then it just keeps spiraling like that until I find some kind of distraction to take my mind off things.”

“How long do these moods last?”

“Depends,” Thomas shrugged. “Sometimes I go whole weeks without a depression attack. Others I’m in a bad mood for two weeks straight.”

“You said it is triggered by bad things happening in your life, yes?” Luna asked cautiously. “Can you not simply focus on the positive aspects?”

“That’s why it’s called a condition,” countered Thomas, hating the pity he heard in Luna’s voice. “I can’t just think my problems away. And sometimes there isn’t really even a trigger.” Thomas went on to explain how periods of depression could be brought about by his mind wandering and remembering a bad time. To make matters worse, he’d feel so low that he’d convince himself that this was how he is supposed to feel. When he did reflect on the positives in his life, that too made him feel low for being sad while others in the world managed to get by with so much less. He’d even taken up the practice in middle school of telling himself that he was worthless and that he’d never accomplish anything. He didn’t do that particular thing anymore, but it had no doubt affected his overall outlook.

Luna listened intently to every word he spoke, horrified by the implications. “Are there no treatments back in your world? Did you not seek help?”

“They have pills, but they’re just a bandage solution. Also the side effects can be just as bad as or worse than the thing they’re trying to treat so I didn’t think it was worth the risk, or the cost. There is no real cure, so I never brought it up. I figured it’d just be a bother to those around me if they had to worry about me like that, so I kept it all to myself.”

Luna’s eyes widened in realization when she made the connection. “You felt trapped.” She analyzed. “You felt that there was nothing those around you could do, so you pushed them away. In time, you even allowed yourself to think they didn’t care at all.”

Thomas met Luna’s eyes and they shared in a moment of mutual understanding. Though even now that little voice at the back of Thomas’ head told him he had no right compare his bitterness to Luna’s legitimate woes, that voice was quickly cast aside by the heartwarming smile that grew on the alicorn’s face. In return, Thomas tightened his hug as best he could and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Glancing up at the clock and realizing it was time to do her royal duty, Luna lit her horn and lowered the moon, though her focus remained primarily on the scrawny bundle of love in her grasp as they reveled in each other’s touch. “I…” she began with a half-smile. “I don’t suppose it would be sufficient if I simply issued a royal decree forbidding you from allowing yourself to descend into such delusions of worthlessness, would it?” She asked hopefully.

“Would it work on you?” Thomas asked into her fur.

“It might,” Luna said leadingly. “If there were some… one there to remind us otherwise.”

Thomas turned his head to the side, listening contentedly to Luna’s heart as he felt the rise and fall of her chest beneath and around him. “You mean… if you had someone there to tell you you’ve got a great sense of humor, that the way you carry yourself never fails to inspire respect, that it’s a shame your sky can’t fit in a museum, that your fur is so soft its threatening to put me to sleep,” he paused to let her laugh, “and the obligatory comment about the royal moon.”

Luna chortled gratefully before sighing. “And Thomas. Would it help if you had somepony there to remind you of certain things?”

“Like?” Thomas inquired, bracing himself to counter the argument that she was only saying this out of pity.

“Even if the stories you tell are not your own, the way you paint such a vivid picture has moved me in ways past bards could only fantasize about. Though you claim to not understand pony body language, you have yet to fail to come to a mare’s aid when she is in most need. You are quiet, but that only strengthens your listening. The unique perspective you provide on matters of literature, economics, and, of course, intercourse never fails to intrigue.”

Thomas felt a new surge of warmth as the sincerity of Luna’s words fell over him. “It couldn’t hurt,” he admitted.

“I love you, dearest Thomas. If nothing else, never forget that.” Luna said firmly.

“And I love you too.” Thomas said. He’d considered saying something playful like ‘I’m fond of you too’, but decided that what this moment called for was the simple truth. “You and your big horse eyes.” But a little humor on the side couldn’t hurt.

“Oh?” Luna smiled cheekily. “Well, there is one last thing I forgot to mention about you.” Before Thomas could ask, he suddenly yelped after suffering an unprovoked goosing of his backside. “You have the most coltishly adorable and pinchable flanks in the entire kingdom.”

“If my arms were longer, I’d argue that last point.” Thomas threatened playfully.

“Pretty colts like yourself have tried before.” Luna said confidently. “What makes you think you would do any better?”

Thomas pressed his face back into Luna’s fur. There he spoke a cold and sinister truth that filled the alicorn’s heart with dread. “Because I know where you’re ticklish.”

The human made good on his threat, engaging his foe for many arduous minutes before succumbing to exhaustion and collapsing by Luna’s side. There Luna left him as she slid out of bed and dressed herself in a more informal gown, neglecting most of her regalia, save the crown. On her way out she gave her beloved a quick kiss on the forehead, smiling as he stirred and rubbed the backs of his hands. From there she met with her sister and had a long discussion about what had happened in night court.

**********

Meanwhile, in a ritzy apartment near the castle, Perfect Measure had just finished greeting her herd and foals, assuring them that this evening was a remarkable success and that all would be back to normal shortly. From there she departed for her study to unwind with a good book before bed. While sitting there, alone, she noticed an odd chill and made a mental note to chastise the servants for allowing it to get this cold.

“Error.” A voice whispered softly.

Freezing nervously with her face still in the book, Perfect Measure’s ears swiveled in every direction.

“Error.”

Slowly setting the book down, Perfect Measure’s ears continued to swivel. “Hello?” She whispered.

“Error. Error.”

Wetting her lips, Perfect Measure was no longer able to pretend that she was imagining things. Something was in here with her.

“Error. Error.”

Perfect Measure was beginning to panic. Her head darted around as she surveyed the empty study. Her ears continued to swivel, but she was unable to pinpoint the location of the voice, not even its general direction. It was like it was coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

“Error. Detected.”

“Error?” Perfect Measure asked evenly, too afraid to raise her voice as she slowly stood from the chair. “What error?”

“Error. Detected.”

“You don’t say.” Prefect Measure said through a forced smile as she positioned her body to face the door and started walking. “What kind of error?”

“Error. Error. Error in causality has been detected.”

Perfect Measure froze. She only had a couple more feet before she reached the door. She tried to reach out with her magic, but she was panicking too much to focus. She’d heard the direction of the voice this time. And her animal instincts confirmed its presence. There was no flash of teleportation or any other magic, not even the sound of the floor boards creaking, but there was no doubt in the unicorn’s mind that something was there that hadn’t been before, something behind her.

“Error. Located. Attempting to correct.”

Perfect Measure spun around, but didn’t even have time to scream before it was upon her.

After going to sleep, Perfect Measure woke considerably earlier than usual since she’d begun going to night court. She’d promised her herd a lovely dinner this evening to make up for her absence thus far. As she readied herself, she opened the drawer where she’d hidden the first draft of the proposal she’d promised last night, already written and spellchecked. Staring at it ponderously, Perfect Measure began to lose her confidence in the idea. Her partners in the Association had become increasingly upset with her insistence on resisting the extended operation hours of their companies. They were no more fond of the new Princess than she was, but business was business. Recalling a few innocuous things suggested at their last meeting regarding the members' confidence in the current leadership, the mare was really losing confidence in herself. This was a bad idea. Still, to keep from losing face with her supporters, she’d have to pull back gradually. To present herself as a pony of reason, she’d compromise, negotiate away the more radical elements of the proposal in exchange for favorable deals that ultimately benefit her more than this ludicrous stack of papers ever would.

Her mind made and set on a new course of action, Perfect Measure closed the drawer and finished readying herself for dinner with her family. As they left, the mare’s ear flicked as she thought she’d heard something, but decided it was just her imagination.

“Error. Corrected.”

Aww. Wasn’t that a sweet moment between Thomas and Luna? He finally told her about his depression, doing so in such a way that showed they could understand each other’s feelings, and that just brought them closer. So cute, right? …right?

Oh, I see. You’re not really thinking about the sweetness are you? You’re too busy focusing on the tonal whiplash that was… The Error! Dun dun dunnnnnn!

Can’t say I blame you though. I mean, what the hell even was that thing, and what does its presence mean for the story? What exactly did it do? Were the Princesses involved? If not, what’s gonna happen if they meet it? Is Perfect Measure alright? The answer to all these questions and more will be answered… whenever the hell I feel like it.