12-Afflicted

Long ago, in a time forgotten by mortal and alicorn minds alike, several beings walked across the skin of Equis. These beings were as powerful as they were alien, none of them born upon the land they roamed. Each had been brought to Equis by another, given new bodies and new names with which they fulfilled their tasks.

Gaea, Lady of Life, tasked with ensuring all life on the planet had a place. She brought balance between the myriad of species that called Equis home.

Thanatos, Lord of Death, tasked with ensuring the world always had a place for new life. He ferried souls to the realm they needed to go to, whether good or evil.

Tartarus, Lord of the Pit, tasked with punishing all true evil that ever came across his path. He ensured no being stepped out of their bounds.

Hades, Lord of the Underworld, tasked with providing an afterlife to those who did not warrant Tartarus. He, too, punished the wicked, as well as rewarded the good.

Hemera, Lady of the Day, tasked with bringing light to the world so life may see and grow. She guided mortals throughout their lives and gave them the time they needed to grow.

Nyx, Lady of the Night, tasked with bringing coolness and peace to the world. She gave mortals time to rest and prepare for the day ahead.

Aether, Lord of Light, tasked with spreading the good of souls across the world. He spread generosity and love to those who would listen.

Erebus, Lord of Darkness, tasked with spreading the evil of souls across the world. He spread hatred and greed to those who would listen.

Perses, Lord of Destruction, tasked with bringing an inevitable end to all things. He brought ruin across the world as was needed.

Finally, Chaos, Master of Creation, tasked with rebuilding the world from any damage. Their power was great and all encompassing.

A time once existed when all these beings wielded their power to bring balance to existence itself. The times were ripe with knowledge and power, a prolific era never since seen.

Eventually, Chaos fell dormant and without their power, the others fell into disarray. Perses, Tartarus, and Erebus sought to corrupt the world while Hemera and Aether sought to purify it. War raged between these beings, nature fighting against itself. Hundreds of millions of mortals died in the thousands of years of war. Eventually, the war ended. The price was high.

Several had died, others imprisoned. Erebus, Perses, Aether, Gaea, and Chaos were slain. Four were replaced. Tartarus retreated and became a guardian of his own prison. The world was scarred and mortals all but vanished off the face of the world. An agreement was reached. The masters of nature would lock themselves away and remain dormant and allow the world to recover. However, they needed placeholders, objects or beings who would wield a fraction of their power.

The masters chose Spirits to embody their powers and ideas.

Three young unicorn mares, two sisters and one unrelated, became the Spirits of Day, Night, and Darkness. One male, the last of his kind, became the Spirit of Creation. A young larvae, chosen to be the Spirit of Life, was corrupted through her mother's magic. The Spirit of Death, a young unicorn Prince from the far north. Two centaur brothers, Spirits of the Pit and the Underworld. An ancient tree became the Spirit of Light. Balance returned to the world for all forces... all except two.

No mortal became the Spirit of Destruction, though not for lack of looking. It simply was not the time. Now could wield Perses' power.

Though Chaos had a Spirit, no soul claimed the title Master of Creation. It was decided to abandon the pursuit; the proper host had simply not yet been born in any world.

Understanding that it simply was not the time for those two mantles to be claimed, the masters of nature retreated from the world and allowed the balance to uphold itself.

"Power."

"W-Who are you?"

"End."

"What?"

"Nature."

"N-Nothing. I thought I heard something."

"Fate."

"Are you sure? You're lookin' a little pale."

"Destruction."

"Soul, are you okay?"

"Soul?"

"Soul Flare?"

"Perses!"

Slowly yet inevitably, the sun rose. Light filtered in through the now closed window, brightening the room considerably. Throughout the night, Daedalus had done nothing but stare at the wall of his rented room, tracing the grooves of the grain. He remained curled in the ball he had lied down in, not moving a viral muscle as he dwelled on his dreams.

He, too, was confused by the song he had sung the night before. He had never before heard the lyrics, and he distinctly remembered music echoing through the sky, the lack of ponies playing instruments not stopping the sound.

Glancing at the simple wood clock hanging from the wall, he saw the time and uncurled from his position. He stood and soon exited the room and descended the stairs. He, as always, arrived in the common room of the tavern where he was greeted by the sight of several ponies eating breakfast. Turning his gaze slightly, he saw Fire Brand waving him over.

With a small shrug, he walked across the room and sat down at the bar counter. He sent a questioning glance toward Brand's way as she set a cup of steaming black liquid in front of him. He instantly recognized it as coffee even before she spoke. "Coffee. You look like you didn't sleep any last night."

Daedalus grunted and grabbed the mug, sipping the drink and allowing the caffeine to affect his viral cells. "I didn't."

The burst of energy hit him and he felt a portion of his mental lethargy fade away as he sat up straighter. He ignored the concerned look Fire gave him as he continued to drink his coffee.

Eventually, she couldn't remain silent any longer. "Why not?"

Daedalus sighed and set the cup down. "Nightmare."

She huffed at him, annoyed. "That's all you're going to say?"

He shrugged. "There's nothing to say. I get them sometimes. I deal with them. I move on."

She frowned in worry as she pressed on. "You should talk to Princess Luna. She might be able to help you."

"I'm pretty sure she knows. I think I heard her voice in my dream last night, a little while before it ended." Daedalus said.

He threw back his head and drank the rest of the coffee. He stood up and placed four bits on the counter. "In any case, I need to get to work. Have a good day, Fire."

"You too, Gene." Fire said with a sigh as she watched him leave. She could see in his eyes that there were things he hated himself for. She wasn't the only one, either. Both Twilight and Coal knew something was wrong with him and they wanted to help him.

"Ivory! Cover me for a bit! I need to go talk to somepony." Fire yelled to one of the assistant cooks.

"I'm taking pay for however long I cover for you!" Ivory yelled back.

"That's fine!" Fire returned, already heading for the door. As she left, she mumbled to herself. "I just hope Twilight considers it a good enough reason to send a letter to Princess Luna."

Daedalus walked into The Hammer and Tongs to see Coal wheeling a crate of metal toward the forge. He quickly caught with her and held open the door that separated the two sections of the shop.

"Thanks, Gene." Coal said, flashing a smile to the virus.

"Happy to help. What is the metal for?" He asked.

"The Guards requested a new batch of steel swords. We'll be working on them for the next few days." She answered.

"How many swords will we make?"

"Not as many as they need. Because there are so many of them, they split the order between nine or ten blacksmiths. Because Ponyville is so close to the base of the mountain, I get a portion of the business."

Daedalus nodded; it made sense to him. Very few traditional blacksmiths would be able to make an army's supply of swords in a timely manner. "You still never gave me an actual answer."

She glanced at him with a wry smile. "I didn't, did I?"

When he returned her smile with a slight chuckle, she answered. "Thirty. It really isn't that many for us, but when it was just me working here, it took me a few weeks."

"Let's get started, then." Daedalus said as he approached the forge.

The virus exited the forge some six hours later, drenched in sweat his body didn't need to produce. He glanced around to see the streets slowly emptying as the sun began to set. He turned and slowly began to head back toward the Tavern when he heard his, or rather, his disguise's, name being yelled by a familiar voice.

"Gene! Gene!" He turned back to see Twilight running down the road with Spike on her back.

She stopped in front of him and began panting loudly, the run clearly having taken a chunk out of her stamina. He waited for only a few moments as she caught her breath and began speaking as she turned and started trotting.

"Follow me to the Everfree I need your help the others are oin their way hurry up!"

He blinked for a moment before quickly catching up. "Talk slower. What's going on."

"Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were flying above the Everfree looking for Angel when something struck Rainbow and made her crash, getting pinned. She told Fluttershy to come get the rest of us to go help her."

"See? Now I understand what's happening to know how I can help." Daedalus said with Spike emitting a small chuckle. "By why do you need my help? Five ponies seem like enough."

She flushed a dark shade of magenta. "We don't do well in the Everfree. I saw you and figured you know how to navigate and what to avoid since you lived in a forest before. Plus, you're an Earth pony. You and Applejack can buck some Timberwolves if needed."

He considered it for a moment before conceding her point. "Good reason. I can't promise I can help that much though. The Everfree is magical. My home was not."

She nodded firmly. "Anything is better than nothing."

"I agree. Lead the way."

Twilight nodded and began running as fast as she could toward the Forest while Spike hung on to her mane. Daedalus matched her pace easily and limited himself as they ran. Ponies stopped and watched while moving out of the way at the sight of the two ponies. Soon enough, they made it out of Ponyville and Daedalus' eyes could see the edge of the Forest and the four ponies waiting there.

Within a minute, the three reached the edge and halted with the group. Daedalus nodded to Pinkie, who returned it with a smile. Twilight panted, once again completely out of breath, while the virus simply stood and waited, listening for any particular sounds from inside the woods.

Once the unicorn mare recovered her breath, she started speaking. "Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, this is Gene Splice, a friend of mine. He's here to help and is an Earth pony like you, Applejack."

Daedalus turned and nodded to the three, with two returning it. The third, Fluttershy, looked away and hid behind her pink mane. The Evolved internally shrugged and refocused on Twilight's speech.

"-Shy will lead the way to where Rainbow fell. Me, Applejack, and Gene will watch out for any dangerous inhabitants. Rarity, you'll bind any wounds she might have. Pinkie, we might need you to run back and alert the hospital staff."

"So that's why you told me to bring any cloth I didn't like." The white unicorn said, levitating a roll of olive green cloth. She shuddered as she looked at it and put it away. "Bad memories."

Twilight nodded and continued "When we get there, we'll try to find a way to free her from whatever pinned her. Okay? Let's go!"

The five ponies, dragon, and virus ran into the woods, following the lead of Fluttershy who seemed to know exactly where they were going. She weaved around trees, ducked under branches, and jumped over logs, seemingly intent on helping her lifelong friend.

Daedalus, Pinkie, and Applejack had no trouble keeping up. Rarity and Twilight, however, were falling behind. They couldn't twist in time to make the same maneuvers the others made. Daedalus slowed down slightly and spoke. "Twilight, use your magic to move branches and logs out of the way of you two."

She nodded in realization and did so, allowing the two unicorns to catch up to the other three. Before long, Daedalus began to hear labored breathing coming from up ahead as well as scratching and growling. Fortunately, he didn't hear any tearing, screaming, or eating.

Fluttershy lead them right to a clearing where she saw Rainbow go down. Unfortunately, it was now occupied. A Manticore crouched next to a tree with a hollowed out alcove under the roots. His sight allowed him to see Rainbow hiding there as the hybrid tried to dig her out.

They stopped at the edge and Daedalus spoke. "Rainbow's under the tree. The Manticore is trying to get to her. She's safe for the moment, likely the next ten or so minutes."

Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "Can you get the Manticore to go away?"

With wide and slightly tearing eyes, she shook her head rapidly. "He's r-rabid. I can't reason with him."

Daedalus looked closer and saw the erratic, angered movements. He couldn't see the eyes nor the mouth, but assumed they were dilated and foaming. He nodded. "She's right. We'll have to fight."

"F-f-fight!" Fluttershy squeaked out."

Twilight nodded, determined to save their friend. "Who'll help you?"

He turned to the farmer. "Applejack, you can dodge quickly and buck hard. Do you think you can avoid its swipes? They'll be fast, but easy to predict. It won't try to trick you by feinting."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Ah'm willin' to try for Rainbow. What do ya need me tah do?"

"Weave around its strikes and buck its legs, preferably its knees to break them. When it's down, I can finish it." Gene said.

He turned to the unicorn pair. "Whenever you get a chance, hit it in the face with something, like a rock. Enough to distract it for a small moment."

Then he looked at Fluttershy. "When the fighting starts, go to Rainbow. We'll draw it away for you to get there. Pinkie, stay out of it. It'll be up to you to make sure the hospital is ready for whatever injuries she may have."

They nodded and he continued. "Let's start, then."

Daedalus and Applejack ran toward the Manticore who failed to notice either of them. When they neared just a foot or two away, both spun and kicked the raging beast in the back, full force. It reared up and roared in pain before spinning to swipe at them. Applejack was prepared and ducked under the hit while Daedalus simply jumped over the tail. He was right that the Manticore was foaming at its mouth with dilated pupils. It certainly was infected with something.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Fluttershy crawl into the small hole with Rainbow while carrying a small case with a red cross and the roll of cloth. He brought his attention back fully to the beast to see Applejack buck its left leg. Since it was reared up and all its weight on two legs, the muscles gave out and the beast fell.

Daedalus turned and gave a solid kick to the chest, feeling several ribs give out under his strength. He couldn't overdo the kick, though or it would give his strength away. It came as no surprise when the hybrid shakily got back up. "Bring it down once more and I can end this."

The beast seemed to have learned a little as it approached on all fours, only taking one paw off the ground to swipe. Several times it nearly him Applejack if it weren't for the well-placed rock from one of the unicorns. It rarely swiped with its tail, too, preferring to use it in an attempt to pierce one of them, which was easily dodged by a jump to the side.

After some time, and when Applejack seemed to be growing tired from the constant jumping and ducking, Daedalus quickly burrowed a tendril under the ground and tripped the beast. When it impacted the ground, he spun and delivered a significantly stronger kick to its skull, cracking it and immediately killing the beast.

Daedalus turned to look at Applejack who panted and gasped for breath as blood drained from its head and formed a puddle behind Daedalus. "Are you okay, Applejack?"

She nodded, unable to speak. Daedalus heard slight movement from behind him and turned to see Fluttershy and Rainbow exiting the hole. The prismatic mare had several green bandages across her limbs and seemed to have at least one broken leg and a sprained wing. The virus turned to Pinkie and spoke. "Head to the hospital. Several lacerations, broken limb, sprained wing, and possibly more."

She nodded seriously and disappeared leaving dust behind her. He walked over to the mares carefully embracing Rainbow. "Its safe to assume you can't walk."

She nodded, looking down. "Y-yeah. I'm pretty useless."

He shook his head. "You crashed hard in the Everfree and survived a rabid Manticore attack. You have no reason to be ashamed."

She brightened up at that. "You're right! That sounds so awesome when you put it like that! Thanks, Gene."

Rarity spoke next. "I'm very happy you'll be okay, but we need to leave."

Daedalus nodded. "Put her on my back."

She blanched even whiter. "She'll stain your coat, darling!"

"Are you really worried about my coat over Rainbow's life?" Then he glanced back at his rear hooves, which were stained with blood and grey matter from the Manticore. "Besides, I'm already dirty.".

Rarity looked apologetic and Twilight levitated Rainbow onto his back. He failed to so much as shift under her added weight. "Let's go. I already sent Pinkie back to town."

They nodded and began moving rapidly toward Ponyville. This time, Twilight and Rarity lead the group as they used their magic to clear a path. It took longer to leave as it did to arrive, but they soon exited the forest. Several doctors with a stretcher waited at the edge and immediately took Rainbow and teleported to the hospital.

Not much later, the group also arrived in the hospital and took seats in the waiting room. The nurse behind the desk, a white unicorn mare with a gauze wrap as a Cutie Mark, took one look at Daedalus and gasped. She ran up to the Earth pony and started speaking quickly.

"Come with me and we'll have you treated right away!" She shouted.

He looked at her confused, then looked down at himself. As he suspected, splotches of blood and grey matter covered his hind hooves. What he hadn't noticed in the dark of the Everfree was the spots of blood coating his entire body from impacting the Manticore as well as the blood that dripped out of Rainbow's cuts.

Daedalus looked back up her and shook his head. "This blood isn't mine. The spots on my hooves are from the Manticore that was trying to get to Rainbow. The rest is from carrying Rainbow on my back. However, now that its been brought to my attention, do you have a place I can wash up?"

The nurse's eyes had widened when the virus began speaking before returning to normal when he asked his question. She nodded and answered him as she pointed toward a hallway. "Two rights, a left, and the third door of the right is a bathroom."

"Thank you." Daedalus said. He stood up and looked back to Twilight. "Relay any news to me when I return."

She nodded and he quickly followed the directions he had already perfectly memorized. He passed a couple ponies, a mixture of doctors, patients, and nurses, and ended up having to repeat himself thrice more. Eventually, he made it to the bathroom and quickly entered, making sure to close and lock the door behind him.

The bathroom was rather average. A low-rim toilet was placed in the center, likely due to a pony's anatomy. The sink was next to, not below, the mirror. Instead of a small mirror, it was a full-body one extending from the floor to just above head height. Taking advantage of the mirror, he stood in front of it at an angle and examined himself. His silver fur was coated with dried blood from both Rainbow and the Manticore. His hooves were clearly the most stained with blotches of brain matter from the beast's skull.

With a sigh, he devoured all the matter and assimilated the DNA. He didn't gain anything other than a minuscule increase in mass; he had already consumed Manticore DNA. He turned on the sink and began to dot and streak his fur with water to make it seem as if he had cleaned himself through normal means.

How did I not notice the blood? I should have felt it caked on my external cells. Maybe I was too focused on getting Rainbow to safety? Perhaps. I may have to answer questions as to why I walked through town covered in blood.

After thoroughly dabbing his fur with water in the spots where blood had been, paying special attention to his hooves, he increased his surface temperature and allowed the water to evaporate slightly. Then, he dropped it back to the usual. The effect left behind was partially-dried water spots on his fur making it look like he washed himself off and quickly dried off in an effort to hurry back.

He sat down and waited several moments, waiting until a believable time had passed. His mind wandered over the events and his simple error of not noticing the blood. Damn it. Why does such a simple thing bother me? Its not like it will hurt me. Ponies will see it as being more concerned with a friend that my own cleanliness, a fact that is true.

After some thought, he shook his head, thoroughly annoyed with himself. He stood back up and exited the bathroom and followed the reversed directions he had been given. Before long, he made it back to the sterile white waiting room to see only Twilight waiting for him. She smiled at him as he approached her. "How do you feel?"

He shrugged at her question. "Cleaner. Where is everypony?"

"They allowed us to visit Rainbow. Her wounds weren't as bad as we feared. Everypony else went in and I elected to wait for you."

He nodded. "Thank you, Twilight. I would have been a little confused if I came back to an empty room."

She smiled with closed eyes and tilted her head. "No problem!"

He chuckled at the look and continued. "Let's go see her."

She nodded and led the way down several corridors to an opened door. They both walked in and saw Rainbow lying on a bed surrounded by her friends. When they entered, Rainbow looked up and spoke to Daedalus. "I never thanked you for saving me. I couldn't have fought the Manticore even if I hadn't been injured."

He smiled at her. "I'm not the only one to thank. It was a team effort. Even then, we weren't exactly going to let it get you."

She laughed and nodded. "You're right. I'm too awesome to be left. Even then, thank you, all of you."

A chorus answered her. "You're welcome!"

Daedalus laughed along with the others for a moment. When the group calmed, he spoke. "When do you think you'll get out of here?"

Rainbow sighed. "A day, maybe two. They want to wait for my leg and wing to heal a little bit more. My cuts are fine, though."

He nodded, accepting the answer. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity yawned in unison. It wasn't long until Rainbow spoke up. "Hey. You're all tired, especially after dealing with the Manticore. Go ahead and head home. I'll be fine."

The girls reluctantly nodded while the virus looked at her in slight concern. The slowly exited the room and Daedalus glanced back to see Rainbow staring at the wall with a contemplative look. The door shut behind him the the girls began to leave. He decided to change that. "Hey."

They looked back, each of them with a curious look on their face. Twilight voiced their collective question. "Yeah, Gene?"

"While she heals, try to keep Rainbow company. She needs it."

Rarity blinked a couple times. "Darling, are you sure we are talking about the same pony? Rainbow may be rough at times, but she is still a strong pony."

Daedalus sighed lightly. "I'm sure, Rarity. She's strong but she could have died. She crashed and was targeted by a Manticore while she couldn't do anything to help herself. I have no doubts a part of her believed she would die out there. That leaves an effect on ponies, no matter how strong they are. She'll be fine in time and with her friends."

The girls were silent for a moment as they considered what he told them. None of them wanted to think about what went through Rainbow's mind while she was under the tree, a rabid Manticore clawing at the roots and slowly getting closer to her.

"I'll be by her side no matter what! I Pinkie Promise!" The pink mare shouted suddenly. Daedalus looked at her and she flashed a smile to him. The other mares nodded in agreement and began discussing ways they could help Rainbow.

Twilight looked at Daedalus and asked a question that had been on her mind. "What about you? Will you spend time with her?"

Daedalus nodded. "Yeah. I won't be able to do it as often as you can, but I will. You'll likely help her more since you know her better."

Twilight nodded, thankful he was going to help as well. "Rainbow was right though. Its getting late. You should head back to the Tavern."

Daedalus nodded. "Good night, Twilight."

She smiled. "Good night, rhymer."

Daedalus chuckled lightly and left the hospital, slowly going back to the Tavern. Before long, he arrived at the familiar building as the sun was just beginning to touch the horizon. He walked in the front door and began heading to his room as usual. Unlike normally, Fire Brand called out his name. "Gene!"

The virus looked over and saw Fire waving at him. "Come here a sec. You have a letter."

With a inquisitive look on his face, he walked over to the counter and grabbed the letter. Fire spoke up as he did. "It's from Canterlot as far as I can tell. Princess Luna if the seal is anything to go by. Have a nice night, Gene."

He nodded at her. "You too, Fire. Good night."

He walked up the stairs into his room and sat down on the bed. He opened the letter and began reading.

The letter was short, informal, and got to the point. Daedalus supposed that since they knew each other, Luna didn't have to remain concerned about trivialities as formality. He stared at the paper, considering his options. Finally, he decided to just give it a chance.

He placed the letter on the nightstand and lied down on the bed. Instantly, he allowed himself to fall asleep.

The world around him faded into view and he became aware that he was in his base form. Daedalus turned and took in the sights of Denham Springs, Louisiana. Specifically, North Park. North Park as he remembered it, particularly. No doubt it had changed in the twenty some odd years since he had been there. The slides, swings, fields, courts, picnic tables, and even the rock climb were all there, exactly as it had been when he last went.

"What is this place?" He heard a familiar melodious voice ask from behind him. Daedalus turned to see the Night Beauty herself behind him, taking in the foreign, concrete sights. She looked as she had in Canterlot. Her mane still amazed him while her wings brought a majestic feel to her presence. Her coat was clearly brushed, giving Daedalus a desire to ran his hand over her fur.

Daedalus shook his head to dislodge the thoughts from his mind. Luna gave him a small smile as if she knew what he had been thinking.

Focusing on her question, he answered it. "This is North Park in my home town."

"A park? Its made mostly of stone!" Luna nearly shouted.

He waved at her to follow him and started walking. They walked down the concrete sidewalks toward a section of the park Daedalus knew well. "Concrete, actually. Its a man-made type of stone that humans use to made sidewalks and other structures."

She nodded, following along with his explanation. "In most cities, there's so much concrete and so little nature that we have given them the term 'concrete jungles.' While these trees, grass, and fields don't seem like much to you, this is pretty rare for humans."

"How can humanity alter the world like this? Its horrible!" Luna exclaimed.

"Not really. Sure, to a pony who spent centuries surrounded by an untameable forest, this seems pretty bad. Humans though, can be considered creatures of order just as easily as creatures of chaos."

"I've never heard of a species referred to as both." The alicorn said.

He glanced back at her, a smile adorning his features. "You've never heard of humans before, have you?"

"Touché." Came the reply.

"Humans are chaotic with our capability of violence. Not all humans are violent, but all are capable of it if the situation demands it. Even the most pacifistic human will fight to save his or her family. In the same sense, humans are order-based. They seek their surroundings to be ordered and methodical, always knowing the outcome and what will happen. Humans are quite truthfully gray beings."

"Daedalus, why do you sometimes refer to yourself as a human and sometimes don't?" Luna asked.

He stopped and turned to face her. She was surprised at the conflicted look he had before he answered. "Because some parts of me still want to be human. Others have fully embraced the monster I became."

Her mood plummeted and she stepped forward, embracing Daedalus with her hooves and wings. She buried her muzzle in the crook of his neck and pulled him down to the ground where she held him, soon mumbling into his neck. "You aren't a monster."

The virus sighed and brought his hands up. One ran soothingly through Luna's mane while the other wrapped around her barrel and returned her hug. "Luna, what's the definition of a monster?"

"Why does that-"

"Answer me, Luna."

"A strange or unnatural creature." She said.

"Which is exactly what I am. I may not be evil, not inherently, but I am a monster."

She tightened her grip around him in response. She leaned over until they both fell on their sides. Luna used the new position to her advantage and wrapped him in a larger, more complete hug. She ended up lying on his chest with her face by his, legs and wings wrapped fully over him. "I used to consider myself a monster or a demon. Something the world would be better off without."

She nuzzled the bottom of his jaw, carefully minding her horn. His breath caught at the sensation and his arms returned to their position around her as she continued. "My sister, my friends, and even my guards worked to convince me that a monster is exactly what I'm not. It took time, a lot of it, but they proved to me I wasn't a monster."

"Why are you telling me this?" Daedalus asked her.

"Because starting today, I'm going to work to convince you that you aren't a monster." Luna said firmly, nuzzling his neck again.

Daedalus smiled at her desire. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Every night, we will meet here, in your dreams. We will speak with each other and learn about each other. You'll show me things you did on Earth and I'll show you things I do in Equestria. That is how I learned and its how you'll learn." She said.

Daedalus couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "You'll be my friend, then?"

She nodded once. "Yep!"

Daedalus said nothing in reply and they simply lied there. Luna listened to his breathing before a thought struck her. "Daedalus?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you make yourself seem so, alive, for lack of a better term." Luna asked.

"It makes me feel normal. I know I don't need anything that I use to. I don't even need a form. It just makes me happy and makes moments like this far more enjoyable. After all, you wouldn't be as comfortable if I was as hard as steel, cold, and silent, now would you?" Daedalus ended with a teasing remark to the mare on his chest.

She blushed a deep indigo and decided not to reply, only pushing her muzzle deeper into his chest. She felt the vibrations as he laughed. "Thought so."

His hands started stroking her back like they were earlier and she sighed in contentment, her heart fluttering. She looked up and opened her eyes, seeing his icy eyes staring up at the sky. She followed his gaze and gasped. Countless stars and nebulae stretched above them, a myriad of creation and color painting existence itself. Luna was speechless, lost in a sight she had only seen on the moon where it was tempered with bitterness. "H-how?"

"This is just one of many sights from the Hubble Space Telescope, a telescope orbiting the Earth and taking pictures of things we can't see from the ground." He explained.

"Its beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" Daedalus' eyes drifted toward Luna, a mare whose eyes were locked on the heavens. Her teal eyes shimmered in the starlight and he felt a stirring in his heart.

Thank the gods I don't have a human brain. This would be so complicated if I had a human's reservations about other species.

Suddenly, all at once, the stars went out. Daedalus started and sat up suddenly, Luna still attached to his chest. She giggled and nuzzled the side of his neck again. "Its okay. Your dream is ending."

She stood up and backed away slightly to let him stand, which he did. "This was a good first night in helping with your nightmare."

He looked at her with a confused stare. "You helped with my nightmare?"

She smirked playfully at him. "You didn't have a nightmare, now did you?"

He laughed. "You make a good point."

The edges of the park began fading from view and the details of the world blurred. He looked to Luna. "Details go first, then the world itself."

He nodded and they watched as the fading world neared him. When it was moments away from fading completely, Luna stepped forward and planted a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. She stepped back, smiled, and was gone.

Daedalus rolled out of bed, bright light shining in through the window.

I didn't get to show her the pool.

Author's Notes:

Once again, Beta Read by Burning Dusk.