After returning to the Canterlot Castle, Andromalius mechanically went through the halls to his room. Once inside, he took off the cloak and tossed it aside. Sitting down on the bed, he looked out the window. He could almost see the guards moving across the city, checking each and every alley for the rest of the group if there was anyone. A carriage arrived on the place of the crime, and now it was on its way to the dungeons, the attackers bound behind the reinforced doors. Further, the wounded guard was recovering and his comrades visited him to cheer him up and assure that the criminals were caught.

Unfortunately, Andromalius had none but one to rely on, and even then it begged a question – should he rely on Inanna? He knew next to nothing about her, what she wanted to do with him, or, frankly, anything outside of her frequent remarks about sex. She appeared out of nowhere, telling him about some sort of test, so would it even be right for him to trust her like he would trust his friends? Uncertainty gripped his mind, anxiety crawled in to freeze him in place. He had to do something, but what?

He sat on the bed almost motionlessly, rarely adjusting his position as he stared off into the distance. However, despite not having a single need, he felt mentally exhausted. With a loud sigh, he allowed himself to fall on the bed. Sleep didn't wait long after he closed his eyes.

At first, there was the pleasant nothing of a sleepless night. But a dream crawled inside his mind, born from both his subconsciousness, his imagination, and an outside force he wasn't aware of. Woven with his own thoughts, the force made him see something he needed to see but didn't know about it just yet.

Above the ashen ground and broken rock, below the hardened black skies, he flew through the air, carried by the wings not his own. In the distance, a lake of red glowed, and in the center of it, his home. Untouched by the heat, it stood like a castle; incorruptible, indestructible, and yet ever-changing. Around the lake of red, crowds stood, watching his majestic flight in anticipation. The charred wind blew past him, trying to push him away from his destination. And yet, he soared ever-higher, reaching the black skies. Effortlessly, he broke through them, revealing the blue canvas dotted with stars, and a full moon shining brightly above. The snow fell, water it became, and washed away the soot and ash it did.

Then he flew above the nearly infinite plains and mountains. From horizon to horizon, all was covered in a white blanket made of biting cold and hateful frost. For centuries, it lay untouched, and even the warm sun was unable to thaw it during the hottest days. And yet, through the deadly snow, a path lay, one that couldn't be walked alone and unprepared.

In the distance, near the border of the deadly snows, a spire stood. Wrapped around it, a shadow was – hungry and yet growing, cast in ice and yet alive. The spire was frozen with it, lying in wait for the heart full of love to thaw the ice away and reveal what was once lost to the darkness. The snow will thaw away, making the way for the spring, for life to come. Whether it will continue to thaw, none could say.

Further away, where the snow had no reign, ponies stood, fearful. They looked and yet didn't see neither the snow nor the spire, neither soot nor ash; what lay beyond was left unseen, too. They walked closer and closer to the border between their world and the world of snow, and yet none dared to cross it, fearful of what was left long times past.

Carried by the wings, Andromalius saw the train hurrying along its tracks, a trail of smoke behind it. The train's boiler was hot, red, ready to burst, and yet it would last enough to reach its unintended and yet purposeful destination.

The hell stallion awoke with heartbeat quick, startled by something. The dream soon started to fade away, and yet the details stayed in his mind. The flight, the things he saw, it made him wonder what it was all about. For some reason, it was very familiar, and yet so different he couldn't quite place it anywhere in his mind. After a while of thinking, he sat up and let out a long sigh. No matter what his dream was, he had more to think about that concerned him when he was awake.

"Still thinking about that incident?" Inanna asked, seemingly clueless about his strange dream, "I should tell you that you actually did better than I'd expect. Really, that was a quick reaction. I'm not too good with wording stuff well, but you deserve some praise for sure."

On one hand, he wanted to agree. Deep down, he knew he did what he could, and no lives were lost. He managed to outrun death this time, saved a live. He's never done anything remotely similar before, and maybe it was indeed a source of pride. On the other hand, however, a nasty feeling nested inside his mind – the infamous 'what if?'. It gnawed at his mind, worming its way deeper and deeper, letting in the guilt and shame. Out of everything, he couldn't figure out what to go with. One thing was certain, however – he wouldn't wish to experience such a thing ever again in his life.

"Then what should I do now?" he wondered, hoping to set aside those dark feelings, "I just... don't know."

As Inanna thought about what to say to him, knocks came from the door to Andromalius' room. He swiftly turned to the entrance, silencing his thoughts. His heartbeat slightly increased as fears entered his mind. He was certain that he wouldn't be punished for anything, and yet irrational fear gripped him from the inside, making him wonder whether his efforts were enough.

"Don't worry, Andro. If it's the guards, they came to thank you, I bet," Inanna assured, "And if not, well... Doubt it's anything bad anyway."

"I sure hope so..." he replied darkly and then stood up from his bed.

"You know, if they came to punish you for... whatever, they wouldn't gently knock on your door," Inanna rolled her eyes, "So, quit being so paranoid and open up."

Nodding, the hell stallion made his way to the room and opened. He raised his eyebrows when he saw that it was a different kind of guards this time. Their armor not golden but blued, and a viper eye embedded into the chest plate. Draped over their armor was a black cape with silky dark-blue lining. Dark-gray in fur, the two guards were nearly indistinguishable from one another. From under their helmets, two slit-pupil yellow eyes could be seen.

"Her Nightly Majesty Princess Luna wishes to see you," one of them said, stepping aside, "Follow us, please."

Understanding that this invitation was non-negotiable, Andromalius exited his room and was escorted by the guards to Luna's quarters. The castle halls were awfully silent and empty, devoid of anyone but the guards. They stood at their posts, alert and ready to jump into action. Some of them still eyed the hell stallion with suspicion, although quite a few were looking at him positively, nodding as he passed.

For some unknown reason, this time, the trip to the chambers of the princess was shorter than before. In a blink of an eye, he was standing in front of the door, behind which Luna was waiting for him.

"Her Nightly Majesty wishes to speak to you alone," one of the guards said, him and the other one positioning themselves at the sides of the entrance.

Andromalius nodded nervously and then slowly opened the door. It swung silently, revealing the room bit by bit. The inside was dim, the windows covered by curtains, and only one candle was lit on the chandelier above. The shadows were sharp and dark, hiding most of the room.

"Please, enter and close the door," the voice of the princess came; emotionless and empty it was.

The hell stallion did as asked, and soon the room was as dark as the moonless night. However, in just a few moments, his eyes adjusted, allowing him to see much more, including Princess Luna herself. She was sitting on her bead, her head hung, a sullen expression on her face. Silently, she moved an armchair for Andromalius to sit on not too far away from her. Obeyind her silent request, he made his way to the armchair and took his place. This time, the armchair seemed far from comfortable. Too soft in one spot, too hard in the other, and still too small to support him properly.

"I have heard... tragic news," Luna spoke slowly, "Is it true that a guard was... injured?"

"Yes," Andromalius nodded, the word he said came out hushed.

"Tell me everything that happened after... after I was gone," she lifted her head slightly up, looking directly in his eyes. This dark look almost made him shudder. However, there was something else to it. He could see redness in her eyes, and trails of tears were under them, dampening the fur.

Andromalius did as asked and told her about everything that came down at the attack. Despite how fast it happened, he managed to remember every single detail, important or not. The struggle, the injury, the rush, and then the relief. As he finished, the room filled with an eerie silence. For a long moment, Luna looked down at the floor. A quiet sniff was heard.

"Will..." her voice almost broke but she recomposed herself, "Will... the guard live?"

"I, uh, think he will," Andromalius tried to assure her, and yet it came out half-hearted. Nevertheless, Luna nodded to his reply. Another sniff was heard.

The hell stallion didn't dare move from the armchair despite the silence. It grew and grew, crushing him with anxiety and uncertainty, but then something broke it. A louder sniff. Luna's body shook as tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She didn't lift her head up, avoiding looking at Andromalius. He too didn't want to look at her, trying to avert his gaze, and yet it always returned to her.

Letting a woeful cry, Luna broke down in tears, her body shaking and shuddering as the wave overcame her, crashing against her will and breaking the dam that held her emotions in check. She jumped at Andromalius and hugged him, her tears dripping from her face onto his back. At first, he did nothing, his body as stiff as a rock and his eyes open wide. Then, hesitantly, he wrapped his front legs around her in a warming embrace.

"T-thank thee for s-saving h-him..." Luna whispered into his ear, "I-if anyone d-died, I... I..."

"Your majesty..."

"T-titles aside!" she cut him off, "It... doth not matter when I d-did nothing to p-protect m-my subj-jects..."

"But... it's not your fault..." he tried to argue, but was quickly cut off once again.

"It is wholly mine!" she separated from him and looked into his eyes, "If I have not fleed like a scared old m-mare, if I stayed and fought the bastards, I... I..." another bout of tears came over her, and she closed her eyes as she cried. She forced herself to calm down slightly, opened her eyes and looked at Andromalius again, "Thou... thou art n-not at fault unlike thou t-thinkest... 'Tis I who could have done more, 'tis I who could have p-prevented it... I sense g-guilt inside thee, but it is misplaced. Thou art n-not guilty, thou art not at f-fault, but I am."

Andromalius opened his maw to argue, but a glance from the princess made him reconsider. He didn't know what was going on in her mind, but he didn't blame her. At the very least, he didn't want to – it was obvious the hurtful words she heard left a mark in her mind. Leaving wasn't the worst option she had. If she stayed, if she let her wrath take control, would the four attackers even be alive? Andromalius wasn't aware of her true powers, but he suspected she could pulverize the attackers if she wanted, turn them into nothing but ash. And yet, instead of retaliating, she simply disappeared, hiding from them where they couldn't reach her. She had all the power to make sure they wouldn't hurt her, but instead, she let them be. And now, it didn't seem like she would want to execute them or do other things Andromalius didn't want to even think about.

There she was, a ruler of a country, crying in front of him. It was so surreal Andromalius started to doubt whether he woke up or not. Probably one of the most powerful ponies, the one they call Princess of the Night, was sitting there, looking like a trembling leaf.

"Forgive me for this show of weakness..." Luna said in a weary tone once she calmed down.

"No, it's fine, really," the hell stallion assured her and then awkwardly added, "You have a reason to... feel bad."

"To cry, yes," she corrected him, "In any case, I believe I have taken enough of thy time. This day wasn't... the most fortunate," she looked at him, "But thou hast proven to be honorable and thoughtful. Saving a guard from a death most certain – 'tis a deed worthy of my respect. And 'tis a deed in need of repayment also."

"Thank you, but..."

"Anyone who doth a good deed must be rewarded," Luna continued, ignoring his attempt at refusal, "And I believe 'twill interest thee. I would like to set thee on an interesting path – studies of magic."

Andromalius' eyes widened. He didn't want to admit it aloud, but it was exactly what he hopen to get.

"I can see sparks of interest in thine eyes already," a small smile appeared on her face, "Come to me next evening, and I shall teach thee. For now, I require some rest, so I'd like thee to leave me for the day."

"A-alright, your majesty-"

"For thee, I am Luna. Besides, I am not thy princess, for thou art not Equestrian," she stopped him, "Thou needst not to be a subject to me, but... a friend, perhaps?"

"A... friend?" Andromalius blinked in surprise, "I... don't know what to say..."

"Thou shalt have the time to think about it, I shan't push thee," she assured him, "So, go and rest, for learning magic is no easy achievement. If thou needest food or drink, thou needest but to say a word to the guards outside thy room, and they shall bring thee what thou ask for."

"Thank you, Luna," Andromalius rose from his seat, "I..."

"As I said, thou shalt have the time for everything, including gratitude," she told him in a soft tone, "I'll see thee next evening, Andromalius."