There comes a time in every mans life when he loses all hope. A time when the thin vail of mortality is raised, giving way to the embrace of the afterlife.
Everything that felt important before is now forgotten, and the mind is clouded by thoughts the mind has never had earlier. For Dust, this time had now
come. As he felt himself float through the air, his entire life felt like a distant memory. It was dark and cold around him, and slowly he floated towards
a bright light.

As he looked around, he could se faces. Familiar faces, loved ones. First, Anton. As Dust saw him, he wanted to reach out to him, hold his brother
after having missed him for so long, to make sure that he was real. But he couldn't feel his body, and he kept on floating, passing Antons face and
approaching another. This one was his father, joined by his mother to the right. They smiled warmly at him as he passed them. If Dust could have felt his
heart, he would have felt it skip a beat, softening from seeing his parents.

Another face. A round head with perfect, big eyes, pointy ears and that cute little nose he loved.. A white face, framed in purple hair. Rarity smiled as he
floated past her face.

No more faces appeared before him, and he instead observed the bright light on front of him as he came closer. Dust had no idea what it was, but he kne
he needed to pass through it. Everything would be allright if he did. It would end his worries for himself and Luna, end his quilt over Rarity, end his
responsibilty with the Jormundgand. Peace. Tranquility. Finaly, he could see what was in the light. Another face, one he had longed for so much.
Those perfect lines forming the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. The lips he'd kissed so many times, but yet not enough. And the eyes, cyan in colour.

A dark blue mane that seemed to move on its own, independent from the rest of the face. Countless times had he burried his face in that mane, drawing
in its smell and feeling all warm inside from the touch of it. It didn't feel like real hair, but more like some sort of silk or satin, and he loved to lose himself
in it, loved to fall asleep next to his beloved Luna. But as Dust came closer, something in Lunas face changed. Her eyes widened, and her mouth started
trembling. Somethin shiny welled up around her lower eyelids as she look at him through the light.

Whatever had carried Dust here now stopped, merely a few inches away from the light. He saw Luna reach her hooves forward, and they dissapeard
around the edges of the darkness around him. She seemed to be shaking something, and at the same time her mouth moved, but no sounds came from it.
Tears fell from her eyes as her movements became frantic, her mouth moved faster and more violent, as if she yelled at the top of her lungs. She moved her
hooves upwards, then brought then down hard. She seemed to be hitting something or someone in a fit of panic.

Still paniced, she fired up her horn, sending a ray of blue light down towards Dust. Surpisingly, the magic glow carried through the light, and touched Dust.
As it did, he felt something change within him. Sudenly, he could feel again, and what he felt was pain. Sharp pain in his back, in his right thigh and now a
aching in his chest. Dust drew in a breath, and in an instant, he was tossed forward, out of the darkness and into the light. Into the warm embrace of his
loved one, quite literaly.

Lunas magic must have pulled him out, as he woke up and flew upwards straight at her face, slamming into her body hard and wrapped his arms around her.
For a split second, she tensed up from the sudden shock, but then relaxed once again, let her body sink down as she kept on crying. Dust felt her entire
weight rest against his body as she lowered herself unto him, and still crying she pressed her face against his cheek, slowly moving her head back and forth,
causing their tears to mix together.

None of them said anything for a long time, and no sounds could be heard except Lunas crying that slowly changed into a quiet sobbing. It really wasn't
the most flattering position they've found themselves in, but none of them cared about that. It took Dust some time to recognise his surroundings, but once
he did, his heart stopped.

The first thing he saw, was the ceiling. He would never forget it, and the small crack going half-way across it. He'd seen a lot of that ceiling the first night
with Luna. That's how he realised that they where back in the castle, in her chambers.. He was laying on his back in her bed with Luna resting on top of him.
She must have stood above him as she tried to wake him up, punching his chest in panic. Not really a position fit for a princess. Then again, it wouldn't
be the first time they where in a compromising position in this bed..

"Promise me, Dust.." Luna spoke up as her sobbing calmed. "Never do something like this again.. I can't take it one more time."

Dust squeesed her closer as a response, carefully stroking her mane as he did. He could feel her beating heart against his chest and as he held her tight,
its beating calmed down further. He really wanted to promise her that, but.. Such a promise would be broken some way or another,
there was no stopping that. Unless..

"What happened?" Dust whispered into her ear, his throat soar. "Why are we back at the castle..?"

Luna raised her head to look him in the eyes. Up until then, her head had rested against his shoulder, leaned on the side against Dust's cheek. Her fur had
been so soft against his face, and he felt a bit empty as that softness was removed.

"You.." She began, but her voice failed her. ".. you were dying.. I didn't know what to do. I panicked, and brought you here.. Thinking that my sister could
help you. And she.."

Luna went silent, and did something Dust had never ever seen her do. She bit her lower lip. It wasn't a really strange or unusal thing to do, but she'd never
done it before. Dust could understand her bodylanguage perfectly, but this was new. As she bit down, she aslo turned her eyes away from him, as if she
was ashamed. Dust looked at her with raised eyebrows, as if asking her what was wrong.
She didn't say anything else, instead she just let her head return to its original position on his left shoulder. Luna sighed deeply as she gave him a quick
kiss on the cheek.

Her warm breath coated his face, and a shiver went through his body.

"Luna? What did she do?" He asked her as the shiver faded.

".. Nothing." She answered him hesitantly. "Nothing, just.. nothing."

"You don't sound like you believe yourself." Dust replied. "Did.. did she hurt you?"

As Dust's question leaved his lips, Luna reacted in a strange manner. A jolt went through her body, and she stiffened in his arms. And then she slowly got
out from his grip, sliding off him to the side. One of her forelegs still layed over his chest, and as Luna withdrew it, she stroked his chin, almost unoticable.
She turned around in bed, her back against him. Not uttering a single word. Clearly, this question had troubled her.

Dust wanted to move around on his side, wanted to press himself against her back and pull her into another embrace, comfort her with his warmth.
Wanted to let her know that whatever had happened, she still had him. He was alive thanks to her quick actions, and hopefully would be alive for quite
some time. That is, if Celestia wasn't getting his excecution ready at the moment..
But he couldn't move due to the pain that once again made itself known.

About the only part of him that didn't hurt was his left arm, and left happened to be the side Luna had moved to. Slowly, he raised his arm towards her.
Since she was so close, he couldn't reach out and twist his hand around in the process, so instead he just let the back of his palm stroke against the side
of her body, and he could almost make out her ribs through her silky coat.

"Sweetie?" Dust whispered. "Tell me, did she hurt you..?"

Luna still didn't answer him.

"Please, talk to me. You've saved my life twice now.. That's got to be proof we belong together, right?" Slowly, Dust stroked her wing. "If we're going
to spend our lifes together, you can't shut me out like this. I would never keep secrets from you.."

The last thing he said was a lie though. He did keep secrets from her. Maybe he would never be able to tell her.. He was a coward, and a weakling.
Even though he was the man, supposed to protect his mare from danger, and despite the fact that he possesed strong magic, it was he that needed to be
protected, he that needed to be saved.. Luna probably saw him as a pathetic fuck who was too weak to do anything. Too weak to rule.

A lying, weak, no-good killer. Not the hero that always does right and saves the girl. A monster, a joker, just like.. just like Celestia.

"Luna, if.. if you do love me, please tell me." Dust said hesitantly, dreading the possibility of not getting an answer from her, and what that would mean.

"Of course I love you." Luna answered quickly, in an almost annoyed voice. "It's just.."

"Did she hurt you?" Dust repeated his question, putting a bit more force behind his words.

Luna drew a deep breath and sighed, then slowly turned around to face him. Her eyes where red from her crying earlier, and a few tears still escaped her
eyelids, dripping down her eyelashes. She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again, and then carefully moved herself closer to Dust, and put
her hoof in his hand. Dust clenched his fingers around it.

".. She.. she won't do it again." Luna said, her voice trembling.

"Tell me what happened, sweetie." Dust answered her, tightening his grip on her hoof.

For a while, Luna was silent. Dust wanted to hold her so badly.. He could clearly see she wasn't well. Quietly, Luna layed her head down on the empty
pillow next to the one underneath Dust's head, and closed her eyes.

".. Celestia tried to kill me." She finaly said, breaking the silence that had grown between them. "When I came flying with you on my back, she launched
herself at me, tried to make me drop you.. She kept on yelling that I was a traitor to our race, and demanded to know how I dared to show myself here
again. But I did my best to avoid her attacks and words, and managed to land on a balcony. I might have.. landed on a stallion by mistake."

Luna paused to take in a few more breaths before she continued.

"Then Tia landed as well, still screaming at me, said she should chop off both of our heads as a punishment, and that she.." A few tears welled up in her
eyes. "She.. she said she would start with you, and make me watch."

"So.. How come we're still alive?" Dust asked bluntly. "And why are we here, and not.. shackled in the dungeon?"

"The stallion." Luna replied. "Regelius. He's been a member of the court for many years, but I don't know him that well.. Somehow, he managed to calm
my sister down. But not without a heated argument. He begged Tia to have mercy, begged her to try and, as he called it, look beyond the borders.
Eventually, she gave in to his words, but still wanted to imprison us. Regelius opposed her tough, and managed to get her agreement to let us stay in
here, as long as you don't leave.."

"And.. Celestia healed me..?" Dust whispered back.

"No, she hasn't even spoken to me since we came here. It was Regelius, he got a unicorn in court to help. That was a few hours ago, then you got some..
seisure."

Dust remembered his strange vision with faces and bright light. That must have been what Luna was talking about. Had it all been in his head?

"You've saved my life so many times, Luna.." Dust said back to her as he carefully moved his left hand over her foreleg. "You're such an amazing mare..
Even under threat of death you stood by me. Your so strong, and I just keep on asking for your help.. I'm not worthy of you.."

"There's no need for you to be worthy, dear." She whispered in response. "I love you because of who you are, it has nothing to do with worthyness or
strenght."

If he only could move, just a little bit, enough to hold her or kiss her.. Weak.

"I don't care what my sister does to me. I would stand by your side until the end, no matter what happens."

Luna moved her head and foreleg, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. As she removed her lips, Dust carefully flipped his hand around, in order to stroke
her soft cheek in response. She closed her eyes at his touch.

"You're not just amazing and strong, you're probably a bit mad as well." Dust said, giving her a smile as he did.

"Maybe love and madness are one and the same."

"In that case, we're both fucking crazy."

And finaly, Luna smiled again, and a small giggle escaped her lips as she did.