Just a Bad Nightmare

Midnight, Royal Canterlot Palace

Luna gazed at the Moon, what seemed like to her like an Alcatraz soon turned into a Panacea for stress, such was the magic of a Beautiful night sky. She had gotten a letter from Aoi earlier today for a request for a certain night arrangement, one that brought back fond yet lonely memories. Celestia walked up towards her sister on the balcony, wondering whaat was on her sister's mind. Luna, sensing the Question answered,

"I wonder who he is?" Celestia was confused, "Aoi I mean, we know almost nothing about him except through his letters. We've taken almost no steps whatsoever to get to know him... something we must rectify this night... but... there's also something else..."

"What is it Luna?"

"Before my banishment, I raised the moon every single night, but nopony ever notices, that's what drove me to resentment, because I felt like you got all the attention from our subjects and I just stood in the background. After my return, other ponies still seldom appreciate what I do, but I don't mind. Now, Aoi comes along, one we've never known or seen in our dominion, yet thrice has made me feel my night had purpose. Once at the dragon's funeral, once again after the ball, and once more tonight. I mean, look at this letter he sent," Luna showed the letter to her sister:

======

Dear Princess Luna,

It would mean a lot if you could ask some of the stars to take the night off, just leaving the moon. If it seems too much, then forget about it, but could you try? I was hoping to see the nights I remembered from Skyrim, staring out into the navy blue night and gaze at the moon. Thanks.

From one who serenades the moon,

Aoi

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"A night that remind's him of his homeland... Skyrim?"

"I've never heard of that place before, must be outside Equestrian borders."

"Even so, reading this request brings back a long since memory I once forgot." Luna looks back at the moon and recalls her tale, "Remember when we were just fillies, and mom used to raise the sun and moon every night and day?" Celestia simply nodded.

"Remember the story she used to tell with it? 'The sun and moon loved each other very much, so they decided to prove their love by staying apart, but they loved each other so much that they started to chase each other across the sky, knowing they would never catch the other. But ever hundred years, the moon catches up to the sun, and they both hug in a spectacular event called an eclipse.' When i remember that story, all I could think of was how we just fought, and I ended up being banished, with the thought that my own sister was the one who did it..." Luna started to cry, "I stared at Equestria from the moon, every single night and day, hoping to finally come back, but after a thousand years, the first thing I did was shut out the day again. This time 6 ponies finally made me remember that we're sisters, we're suppose to have an unbreakable bond. I learned how small things can end up causing a disaster, from a little jealousy, to resentment, to a tantrum, then to a complete overthrow... I never meant for any of it to happen, but it did." Celestia comforted her sorrowed sister by placing her under her wing.

"Luna, you weren't you at the time, something took advantage of your feelings and made you into a monster, that doesn't mean you are one." Luna wiped away her tears and looked up at her big sister. She always knew just what to say, even though sometimes she leaves out important details at times.

"Thanks..." Luna sighed and looked back at the Moon, "But what about Aoi... there's something still troubling me..."

"Well, the fact that he renovated the statue of Discord was kind of a surprise," Celestia giggled.

"I'm not talking about that... It's... I feel there's an unknown purpose to why he's here... and why we keep running into him... He slays a dragon, gives it a funeral, only wanting stuff from the supply store and a few bits, and no recognition whatsoever, he helps us fight Chryssalis and still doesn't ask for anything in return, just this... what goes on behind those enigmatic actions of his..."

"Oh, um, about the bits... I may have given just a tad bit more than he asked..." Celestia goes over the accounts of the Royal Treasury.

"How so?" Luna was getting suspicious.

"I might have given him a lump sum of 95,000 bits." Luna started to laugh...

"PFFFTAHAHAHAHAHAHH!!! You gave him THAT MUCH? What, pray tell, did he do with it all?"

"Well, If I remember this correstly, He used it to purchase a house in Ponyville, and that giant balloon, other than that, I'm not sure..." Celestia smirked remembering the Water Balloon explosion at the ball.

"At least we know he has an eye for pranks..." Luna remembered her sister's reaction at the party, the first time Celestia's mane was completely flat. Then her face turned somber again...

"...but during the battle, something happened, it's like his heart went cold... I saw him... he tore through the changelings and didn't even look back... There was even one point where it seemed he killed if anything got near him, even the element bearers and other changeling stopped fighting to let him pass... the magic he used was unlike anything I've ever seen, magic used for the sole purpose to destroy... I worry for him... maybe he's seen things you and I couldn't even fathom... I almost felt the rage eminating from him, but also sadness... a loss even... You must have seen what he did to Chryssalis."

"I did... even through his rage, he refused to kill Chryssalis, so there must have been some control... but I could not hear what made him turn on his amnesty... I'll have to ask him during my audience with him later in the month, for now, I need to rest. This battle has made us all weary..." Celestia walked back inside to rest... Luna looked back at the moon...

"It's beautiful isn't it..." Luna was taken by surprise as she looked up and saw Aoi sitting on the balcony roof. He hops down onto the balcony and rests his arms on the railing.

"I wanted to thank you personally... It's not every night I get to see a sky like my homeland..." He looked at Luna with solemn eyes.

"Shouldn't you be in the Hospital? How'd you get here?" Aoi shifted his position and leaned on the railing with his elbows on the railing, motioning silence by putting a finger over his lips.

"One, yes I probably should, my legs still ache a bit, two, I jumped," He flicked his thumb over in the direction fo Canterlot General Hospital, "Now I get to ask two questions, one, why isn't it snowing here, or even cold? I don't really have a second question..."

"Well, Celestia and I climate control the weather in Canterlot, it's almost always 71 degrees,"

"Almost?"

"Sometimes we let it drop down to the low 30's to let it snow, most of the time it's kept normal. Now for my next questions..." She approached the railing and crossed her front legs on them, "One, why exactly did you come here? Two, during the battle, why did you... kill Chryssalis?"

"Well, the first one is a long story, so that answers reserved to whenever I'm not going to be chased by orderlies. The second..." he pushed his arms of the balcony and sat in a nearby chair.

"She hurt Fluttershy... it brought back a memory of mine that I'd rather not talk about... seeing Fluttershy on the ground... made me mad... To be honest, I wanted to rip her wings off and shove them down her throat... but I didn't... I spared her life... as I was walking away she still thought she could win and tried to attack me... that's when I killed her."

"So it was a memory... we both have memories we'd rather not talk about..." Luna looked away as Aoi glanced back at her, then sighed ans tlted his head back.

"I'd better get back before the orderlies know I'm missing," he started to run toward the railing...

"WAIT! Just one more quick question... why did you want me to make the night just like this..." Aoi looked her in the eyes with a sad but sincere look in his eyes, He stood on the railing with his back turned away from the balcony.

"So I could play a song..." he fell backwards off the castle balcony, Luna gasped as she tried to stop him. She looked over the balcony to see him land on a tower and jump across the towers back to the hospital...

"... Sincerely, Luna..." She said softly, remembering the letters he sent...

==Luna, 6 years old==

"C'mon Celly, Let's go to the Everfree forest!"

"Luna, the Everfree forest is a dangerous place, mom told us never to go there."

"Pfft, I'm not scared of nothin'."

"That's 'not scared of anything'... and besides you're too young to travel all the way to the Everyfree forest..."

"Thats what you always say... I'm too young this... I'm too young that..."

"I'm only saying this because I don't want you to get hurt..."

"Who says I'll get hurt..."

-Everfree forest-

Later that day I decided to go to the Everfree forest alone, I thought it would be fun to go there... but it wasn't... it was dark and creepy... with mysterious sounds that I've never heard before, of creatures I've never seen before... I started getting homesick and scared.

"Celly? I wanna go home now..." No answer. I heard the snap of a twig and I looked behind to see if it was Celestia, instead it was a manticore, I never saw one before, it was big large, and looked like it would swallow me in one gulp... I ran as fast as I could... I didn't know how to fly back then, but I wish I did... I kept running, deeper and deeper, the manticore gaining up on me... then it cornered me to a cliff... I was scared out of my mind. Right when it pounced, Celestia saved me, swooped right in and picked my up off the cliff. She really was doing it for my own good, I was just too foolish and proud to listen... Later that night I apologized and cried in my sister's wing... she wasn't mad, just relieved I was back home safe...

==Present==

It was the same as when she banished me, I lost control over the power I had, the resentment and jealousy that made me do all those things... she banished me for my own good... but not once was she happy about what she did... and it was the same as back then, she was just glad and relieved that I was back...

I wonder if Aoi had anyone like that to care for him...