"The moon is bright tonight. It's curious, the last time I saw something so bright was the last time I saw your eyes. Before I lost you. You have betrayed
me, yes, brought shame upon our familiy. But slowly, I've started to accept your choice. Even though I want to, it's impossible for me to control
your life, and I cannot decide where you find love. I'm sorry. If you just come back to me, I swear I'll forgive everything that you've done.
Please, sister. I don't know if you can hear me, but I miss you. The moon is bright tonight. Good night, dear Luna, I hope you'll come back to me soon."

Celestia lowered her head in sadness, a few tears falling from her eyes.

"We all miss her, princess." A voice behind her.

She slowly turned her head. A stallion, with brown coat and silver mane observed her from his place at the door. And for once, his monocle did not fall
to the ground when he spoke. Regelius. He walked up to the white princess, sitting himself down next to her. Celestia had always found this stallion
rather amusing. Not just because the simple fact that the monocle always fell from his eyes, but also because his strange name, and the fact that
his cutie mark depicted a monocle. Falling. An odd pony all together.

"I've always enjoyed this view.." Regelius said in a low voice. "Canterlot looks stunning in the moonlight. It's almost.. poetic."

Celestia simply nodded. She often pondered about Regelius and his cutie mark. Did he recieve it because he dropped his monocle all the time,
or does he drop the monocle because he thinks that's what he's supposed to do? That he's expected to do so. An odd pony.

"I've been here every night since Luna.. ran away." Celestia admitted. "I just want to see her again."

"I'm sure she'll be back again." Regelius responded. "Eventually. I think she just need some time alone."

"Alone with a human.." Celestia sighed, giving Regelius a sad look.

"Despicable, yes." Regelius answered. "But who are we to judge? If she truly loves him, wouldn't it be better to just.. let them be happy?"

"What are you saying, Reg?" Celestia frowned. "Do you, out of all ponies.. defend my sisters mistake?"

"Oh, no no no. I simply say that perhaps we shouldn't stand in the way of love. Don't you agree on this?"

"Of course I do." Celestia countered. "But.. this isn't love, it's impossible. Two so different species cannot fall in love, it's not genetically possible."

"I'm pretty sure that more than just genes play a role in love." Regelius answered.

And for a moment, Celestia saw something change in his eyes. Big, purple eyes, that completely clashed against his other colours. Maybe that was another
thing that made him odd and interesting. She nodded at his words. Of course he was right, but she didn't want to admitt it. Deep down, she was thrilled
that her sister had finaly found love, but at the same time, disgusted.

"I think love can blossom between anypony and everything." Regelius continued. "Different sorts of love of course, but still love. Love for a parent, a
sibling, a close friend, lovers. All share strong emotional bonds, in specific ways. So I personaly don't have any problems seeing your sister with this..
Dust? If they love each other, their feelings will always find a way."

Celestia finaly saw what had changed in his eyes. Looking into them as he spoke, she could clearly see.. longing. Loneliness. And she had always enjoyed
conversing with him, since he was a good talker, and one of the few who actually dared to speak his mind without fear of upsetting the princess.

"I'm surprised." Celesta stated. "When I told the council about this, you reacted the strongest to it. What's gotten you to change your mind like this, if you
don't mind me asking?"

"Indeed, initially, I was.. mortified. A disgrace to us all, that our princess would do something like this. For some time, I was thinking of leaving
the court, simply out of shame!" Finaly; the monocle popped down unto the floor in front of their hooves.

Celestia smiled, holding back a laugh as the stallion picked it up.

"But then, I slowly came to this realisation." Regelius continued. "If this is what my princess choose, then I will stand by that desicion."

"You're an honest and loyal stallion, Regelius." Celestia responded to his words.

"It's my job, my princess." Regelius concluded as he put the monocle back over his right eye.

They stood in silence for a while, watching the moon rise. Both of them lost in their own strain of thought.

"How.. how's Twilight Sparkle doing?" Regelius asked, breaking the silence.

"Still in bed." The princess answered in a sad voice. "The pain from her horn has almost dissapeared now, but she will have scars for the rest of her life.
She keeps asking for her baby dragon, over and over again. Yesterday night, she threw a fit, complete panic, claiming she needed to help him."

"Poor thing.. Spike, wasn't it?" Regelius asked in a low voice. "What happened to him, really?"

"I'm not sure.." Celestia admitted. "Twilight probably saw everything, but trying to get her to talk about it.. Maybe she never will."

"What of the.. uh.. body?" Regelius asked catiously, turning his head away from the princess. "Maybe a proper burial would help her?"

"I'm afraid it's impossible. I personaly got to see.. what was left. After the attack. Twilight was passed out on the floor of her library, almost completely
covered in blood. And.. She was holding..."

"Holding what?" Regelius asked.

"It's not really easy to talk about, it was rather.. Between her hooves, she held a few of the dragons scales. Holding it close, like she was cradling it.
When I saw it, I.. I literaly felt my heart fall."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.." Regelius began.

"It's quite allright, Regelius." Celestia answered him. "It only shows you care about others. A trait I'm afraid ponies are losing these days."

She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but smile back, despite the serious matter they'd just discussed.

"There.. was acutally another reason I changed my mind about Lunas actions.." Regelius admitted quietly as they once again turned to the moon.

"Do tell." Celestia begged him.

"As I was walking through town the other day, I came across a young couple sitting outside a small.. bistro, I guess it was. Now, I'm not the kind of
pony that goes around snooping into other ponies affairs, but as I walked past them I couldn't help but hear part of their conversation. As I understood,
the mare apparently had some sort of diseace, I didn't catch the name of it.. Anyway, she was sick, and asked her stallion to literarily leave her.
She said she was dying, and didn't want him to see her suffer until she finaly passed. The stallion, as I remember having blonde coat and black mane,
rejected her offers, claiming that he would stay with her until the end, that he would hold her in his arms as she left this world, no matter what.
That was all I heard, so I don't know how she reacted to it.. But it got me thinking, if they could let their love go on like that, even in the face of death,
then I'm pretty sure Luna and Dust will manage as well.."

"Perhaps you're right.." Celestia said with a sigh. "But it's getting late, we should both get some sleep, right?"

"Indeed, princess." Regelius answered her.

They both took of into the castle once again, walking side by side towards their respective chambers. As their paths parted, Celestia stopped him.

"One more thing, Reg.." She said quietly. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I think we should get some more guards into duty. And into high alert."

"You don't need to worry, my princess. You're perfectly safe within the castlewalls."

"I hope you're right.." Celestia replied. "Well, good night then, Regelius."

"Sleep well, Celestia."

Celestia nodded, wishing him the same, and they parted ways. But she was still worried, as Dust's visit to her bedchambers echoed in her mind. He'd said
he'd give her four days, before "the killing begins.", and she had no idea if he would go through with this threat..

But now, her four days had passed.

"You ready?"

Dust held his arms tight around her neck. She looked back at him as she asked, and he simply nodded in response. Getting into a good position had been
difficult, seeing as he didn't want to hurt her wings, or her back. Thankfully, doe to the fact that she was both bigger and taller than regular ponies,
at least Dust's legs didn't touch the ground. Even though she had a rather slim body, she seemed to be able to carry him with ease.

"We probably look ridiculous.." He said to her from his place on her back. "A human with broken wings, riding a unicorn with wings.."

"There's a first time for everything, right?" Luna answered with a laugh. "Now, just hold on tight, and uh.. try not to pull out anymore feathers."

She grinned at him, and bent her legs slightly. Her wings spread out, and Dust could feel their muscles move against his legs.

"And don't fall, dear!" She laughed, quickly flapping her wings and taking off into the air.

Dust almost lost his grip around her neck as she left ground, and paniced for a split second. But as he saw the small speck of light at the top och the cave
getting closer, he relaxed again. Soon, they would be out of this dark place, out in the sunlight.

"Lean forward!" Luna yelled at him through the wind.

He did as she told him, leaning forward and pressing his chest against her back and neck. For a few seconds, he felt her heartbeat, thumping in an almost
frantic pace. He pressed his face against her soft neck, closing his eyes and tried to relax. Then, they breached through the hole. It was narrow,
and both Lunas hooves and his wings touched the edges, sending dry sand up into the air around them.

As he opened his eyes again, a bright violet light met them. The sun was setting in the west, and bathed the desert in its last rays of sunlight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Luna said in a serene voice as she stopped in the air for a while.

Dust nodded. Then he remembered that the last time they flew across the skies, he had said the exact same thing to her. It seemed to him, their roles
had slightly changed for the moment.

"So, where are we going now?" Luna asked after a moment of silence.

"Fly back to the cave. I need to get my other sword and.. um.."

"And what?" Luna replied to his unfinished sentence.

"N.. Nothing.. I'll tell you once we get there, allright?"

She nodded in silence, and once again took off. The wind rushed across Dust's face, blowing off his hood and through his hair. Luna flew so fast,
Dust had to close his eyes to stop tears from building up in them. This was a strange feeling, flying on something else, instead of using his own
wings. Just like when his wings worked, it felt like freedom, but a different kind of freedom. Knowing that his lover carried him across the skies
made his heart beat faster, and a smile spread over his lips. As Luna dove down towards the river he came from, he once again rested his head against
her neck.

Pressed against her, he could almost envision himself in bed, laying next to her again. With his face in her mane as she snoosed soundly. He didn't open
his eyes again, he wanted to stay in his made up reality for as long as he could. He heard Luna call out to him, but he didn't care about what she said.
For the moment, he was in his own world, and took no notice of real life. It felt as if his life had finaly turned around, and his past had never happened.

Fading memories.

And then suddenly, everything stopped, and a strong jolt coursed through Lunas body. As Dust opened his eyes again, ice and rock filled his vision.

"We're back, dear. How are you feeling?"

"I, uh.." Dust mumbled into her neck. "Could I just.. five more minutes..?"

Luna giggled at his words.

"You're not in bed, you're on my back and I'm getting rather numb."

"Fine, I'll get up.." He whispered back, moving his body sligthly to the left.

That's when he realised his legs had almost been locked in place after sitting in this position for so long. Before he could react, he fell to the ground next
to Luna.

"Ow.." He grunted slowly.

Normaly, he would have probably felt some pain in his thighs, but since he was still partly lost in his own daydreaming, it didn't really register in his brain.

"Do you need help getting up?" Luna said to him with a smile.

"Yes, please.." Dust answered her, adding a quiet chuckle.

Luna smiled, and layed down on the ground next to him. They both laughed as he pushed himself up on her back. Luna stood back up, alowing
Dust to just lean off her back and stand on his own. As he let go of her however, he instantly wanted to grab hold of her again. To hold her, kiss her..

"I fell like I'm drunk.." He mumbled as he swayed on his feet.

"Well, maybe the flight.. was too much for you?" Luna said, her face turning somewhat worried.

"No, I loved it.." Dust said slowly. "I felt so free. When I leaned against your neck, it felt as if everything was normal again, and we where in bed, in our
home.."

"One day, we will have someplace to call our home, dear." Luna answered, carefully nuzzling his shoulder. "And then we'll spend all the time you want to
in bed."

Dust smiled at her words, wishing for that day to come soon. He gave her a quick kiss.

"Have I ever told you just how beautiful you are?" He whispered to her as they shared another kiss. "There's nopony else like you.."

Luna didn't answer, she just gave him another kiss, and before they could break it, she wrapped her wings around him, holding him close
as their kisses became more agitated. Maybe this wasn't the time to kiss, but none of them cared, they where simply too happy to have found each
other again.

"Dust, I love.." Luna said between their kisses.

"I know, I love you too, sweetie.."

A few seconds later, Luna sudenly broke the kiss. Dust looked at her with raised eyebrows, wondering if anything was wrong. She looked back at him
with big, glistening eyes. Then, she blushed, looked down into the ground beneath their feet.

"Please.." She whispered without looking at him. "Please.. I.. I want you, Dust. Need you."

"You allready have me, and always will." Dust answered with a smile, trying to get her to look at him.

But for some reason, she refused to look into his eyes, the blush on her cheeks getting brigther. Dust locked his arms around her neck, and he felt her
body shiver.

"Honey, is something wrong..?" He said, worried about the way she acted.

She remained silent. Dust tried to gently raise her head back up, look into her eyes, but she just janked herself free of his hand, continuing to stare at the
ground. It wasn't a violent move, more careful, and she clearly didn't want to look into his eyes, yet at the same time she had no desire to push him
away.

"Make.. make love to me. Please, Dust." She whispered slowly, closing her eyes hard as she did.

"Now?" Dust asked with raised eyebrows. "On this cold cliff, in the snow? Not very romantic.." He tried to laugh, but as she stayed quiet, his laugh died
down.

"Yes, right here." Luna answered, finaly looking into his eyes again.

"But, why?" Dust said back. "We could freeze in this cold.."

"I'll keep you warm." Luna replied, quickly kissing him again.

Dust was taken by surprise at how.. almost violently she kissed him. As if her life depended on it. He hardly had time to respond her kisses
before she carefully pressed her tounge against his lips. Slowly, Dust opened his mouth, meeting her tounge halfway with his own.

"I.. I thought I had lost you.." Luna managed to speak as their lips momentarily parted. "I thought you were dead, and I would never kiss your lips again.
That's why I need this now, I want to feel alive with you, my love. If we're really going up against my sister, we might both die.. I don't want to waste
one of our last nights together."

"You don't need to explain.." Dust whispered in response. "You know I'll do anything for you."

"Then, please.." Luna answered him, her voice starting to crack. "I don't care if it's not romantic or beautiful, rough and cold, I just need you. I want
to feel your love."

"You'll always have my love, Luna." Dust whispered as they slowly layed themselves down on the ground.

"Until the very end of days."

Regelius sighed as he looked out through one of his many windows. The moon was high up in the dark sky, spreading it's pale light across Canterlot,
as well as his room. His silver mane and tail gleamed in the dull light.

He'd always been an honest pony. Loyal to the princesses. To Celestia. They oftentimes discussed, sparred with words against each other. She was a
good opponent in this, since she always managed to outlast him. There where never any real winner, usualy ending in a draw. And then there were evenings
like this, when they really wanted to get results from their words, and not just training in speech.

Despite this, despite his loyalty, bluntness and way with words, he'd never managed to tell her his innermost thoughts. It would probably only cause
more problems for them, the princess might even throw him out of the court for having such thoughts.
Regelius Silver-tounge, his friends called him. A play at words for his skills in speech, as well as his mane.

And yet, his silver tounge would never dare to utter his feelings.

He'd been in the court for around twenty years now, and he stood by his princess whatever happened. When Nightmare Moon had returned, never did
he falter. As Discord caused havok across the land, he stood his ground. Always by Celestias side. When they lost their sister, Cadence.. He was a loyal
pony, simple as that. Never betraying his duty to the crown.

Maybe Celestia allready suspected or even knew about his feelings, but until he could speak of them to her himself, she would never be sure of it.
Or perhaps she just thought it was silly. A middle aged earth pony, constantly dropping his monocle, with feelings for the princess herself. He would
never know.

Strange, seeing how openly he could speak his mind about Luna and Dust earlier, but still was too much of a coward to let Celestia know.

The stallion felt something sting in his chest again.

"No, I wont do it."

"You have to, Luna. It's the only way to fix this."

Dust was standing outside the cliff, with his back against Luna. The snow beneath them had been disturbed, leaving tracks of their lovemaking earlier
in the night. The sun allready stood high in the sky, and it was warming Dust's bare chest and arms as he waited. Luna were standing behind him,
holding one of his swords with his magic, tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you.." She whispered as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Don't worry, dear." Dust responed. "It's alright, I'll be fine. Just try to hit close to inner joints.."

"But.. They're a part of you.." Luna said as her voice failed her. "I don't want to take away a part of you.."

Dust spun around to look at her. The sword was hovering in the air next to her, gleaming in a dull blue light. Her eyes had watered up, ans she looked
as if he had just asked her to kill him. He walked up to her and embraced her tenderly.

"They're allready dead, Luna." He whispered to her. "I can't go around with a pair of dead wings.. I need your help with it, and I won't love you any
less because of it."

The sword made a loud clanking sound as it hit the cliff beneath their feet, as Luna let her magic fade and she cried into Dust's shoulder. He held her close,
stroking her mane slowly to comfort her.

"Last night was amazing.." Dust continued. "I've never seen you so.. passionate. And we're gonna have more nights like that one, right?"

Even though Luna shivered from her sobbing, he could still feel her nodding slowly.

"Then we have to do this. They need to be removed." Dust concluded.

After a while Luna calmed down, and her crying stopped as she just leaned against Dust, feeling the warmth from her lover. They broke the embrace, giving
each other a quick kiss, and Dust once again turned his back to her.

"Just do it, sweetie." He said to her. "I trust you, I know you can. Don't think, just do it."

Slowly, Luna charged up her horn again, grabing the sword with her magic. She raised it into the air, trying to focus. She closed her eyes before she struck.

"I'm sorry.."

Then she brought the sword down on his wings.

For a split second, nothing could be heard. Then a slashing sound broke the silence as the blade cut its way through flesh, muscle and bone.
Screams in agony as the wings dropped down behind Dust, and he stumbled to his knees in pain. Blood flooded from where his wings had been severed,
coloring his back in crimson red. It driped unto his pants, and began pooling up on the cliff beneath his knees.

Luna threw the sword away, running to Dust's side as he fell. Not seeing anything around her she could use, all she could do to stop the bleeding was
to press her hooves against his wounds. She tried to call out to Dust, but he didn't answer. Then, he fell forward into the snow. The wounds started
bleeding again as the preasure on them disapeared. Gasping in fear, Luna ran around him, grabbed his shoulders and managed to push him back up.

His eyes were closed, and he looked to be sleeping. As she tried letting him go slowly, he once again fell forward, but since she was in the way, Dust
landed on her instead. Luna sat down in front of his lifeless body, holding her legs around him to warm him and to put preasure against the wounds at
the same time.

Luna cried her eyes out, knowing she might have just killed Dust.
She cried out the name of her loved one over and over, but he didn't wake up.

Her cries could probably be heard for miles.