"Any sign of him?"

"No my princess, we've searched the skies, mountains, cities and everything in between, but it's like he's disappeared into thin air."

"Very well. Keep on looking. I don't care if you've already checked every little part of Equestria, check it again! We can't let him get away."

"Yes, at once, my princess."

The guard flew off into the skies, accompanied by a squadron of about 20 more stallions.

"Imbeciles...” Celestia muttered as she went back inside the castle.

How hard could it be to find one lousy human being? It wasn't that she cared about what he did to her sister; a kiss isn't something to kill someone over. She despised him, plain and simple. Humankind where beneath ponies, and would always be, no matter which world they came from. They were animals, basically. Vermin. A plague, spreading it's filth to her ponies through their mere existence.

As she envisioned this human’s life and urges, her insides threatened to escape up through her mouth. Human reproductive behavior revolted her. And probably, she thought that winged human-beast had probably copulated with her ponies. The thought made her not only sick, but even more angered.

Vermin. And like vermin, Dust needed to be exterminated.

"Don't open these doors to anypony, no matter how important or urgent it is." She said to the two stallions guarding her royal bedchamber, as she closed the door behind her.

Finally, silence. No more clanking from armor, no more maids or servants asking the same questions over and over again. Her room was the only place in the castle she felt at ease. She was perfectly safe in here, free to think without being disturbed. Nopony would be stupid enough to try and get in here.

She walked up to her mirror and took a hard look at her reflection. She was feeling weak. Even though she was immune to the sands of time, she had begun to feel... old. Her face didn't have that sparkling shine it had years ago. Her rainbow-mane had started to loose its color, growing more and more bleak.

And her eyes... They looked somewhat... hollow.

She closed her eyes a bit longer than normal. A few tears fell on her cheek, as they always did when she saw her own reflection. She was sick, and it made her mad. If she truly was dying, and she one day would pass, all her ponies would have left would be Luna. A stupid, spoiled little brat. She knew nothing of ruling a kingdom. She would only drive Equestria over the edge of the abyss.

Celestia opened her eyes again, her vision a little blurry from the tears. Looking at the mirror, she saw something odd in the reflection. Believing it was only brought on by the tears, she tried to blink it away, but it stayed put. Finally, she realized what she saw, and froze in her spot.

Through the mirror, she could see her bed on the other side of the room behind her. And something black. Leaning its back against one of the bed poles, arms crossed over the chest, and one foot resting over the other. Looking at her from underneath its hood.

"Have you come to kill me?" She asked the mirror, not wanting to turn around and face him.

"Not today, princess." Dust answered calmly.

"Then why are you here?" Celestia quickly countered back.

"Oh, merely a simple conversation." Dust began, moving away from the bed pole slowly. "A little... Bedtime chat, if you will. Surely, you won't turn down such a harmless request?" Dust stopped his steps next to a small table. On top of it sat a tray with white cups. He picked one of them up.

"I see no reason to talk to an enemy." Celestia said with a cold voice.

Dust raised the cup to his mouth, taking a sip of the hot, steamy tea.

"Not bad." He said, taking another sip, then stepping towards Celestia. "I'm not your enemy tonight. Think of me as a... messenger."

Celestia couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking laugh at his statement.

"You, a messenger? What could you possibly have to tell me?"

"Call off the wedding." Dust answered.

"Not going to happen."

Dust laughed at her answer. A sad, almost hurtful laugh. Without saying another word, he raised his hand into the air, letting go of the cup of tea. Celestia expected it to fall and shatter on the floor, but it stayed in the air, floating. Dust looked at her with a serious face, and then he snapped his fingers. The cup disappeared. Yet, the tea continued to float in the air, completely undisturbed by the fact that it wasn't contained in the cup anymore.

"Call off the wedding." Dust repeated himself. "Luna belongs with me."

"Or what?" Celestia asked mockingly. "Are you going to make every single cup of tea in town disappear like that?"

"I'll kill you." Dust interrupted her mid-sentence. "And anypony that stands in my way."

"You think your weak magic can go against mine, human? Pathetic. You know I could kill you right where you stand."

"No, you can't harm me. Call off the wedding, or you'll die, along with everyone else."

Dust walked through the room, heading for the balcony door. He opened it, but didn't step outside.

"You're a hard man to track down." Celestia said before he took the step through the door. "Where have you been this last week?"

"Oh, I've been trying out my new wings." Dust said, turning back around and giving her a triumphant smile. "Quite amazing things really. I never knew something so fast existed. I don't know how fast I flew from here to the Crystal Mountains, and then turning back and heading out over the Badlands."

Turning his back to her, he added "Zebrica was nice too."

"Still, I had guards up in the clouds twenty-four hours a day, and yet they didn't spot you."

"Well, those guards of yours really aren’t the most clever bunch...”

Dust stepped out through the door.

"And when I kill you, I'll do it with my bare hands. You don't deserve a quick death. Oh, and before I go, I should tell you, I took the liberty of... dealing with your little apprentice. I hope you weren't too attached to her...”

For the first time in ages, Celestia felt her heart sink like a rock.

"What did you do to Twilight Sparkle..?" She whispered with a terrified voice.

"Ah, so that's her name. But no matter, nopony will remember her anyway. You have four days, and then the killing begins. Good night, Tia."

Celestia turned away from the mirror to look him in the face. She wanted to see his eyes when she... The room was empty. Dust had already disappeared, and the only evidence he'd even been there was the open doors to the balcony, the curtains around it swaying lightly in the cold breeze.

And the tea, still floating in the air.

Dust carefully opened the doors from the balcony. This room seemed to be the exact same layout as Celestias, say for one difference: the blue Alicorn fast asleep on the bed. Carefully, he slid his body through the doors, trying not to make a single sound. He closed the door, and held his breath as the doorknob clicked in place. He looked over at Luna, but the sound didn't wake her.

He walked through the room without making a sound, stopping at the side of her bed. She was beautiful. If only he'd realized that sooner, maybe his life would have been different by now. If he hadn't been a coward, too afraid to admit it to himself. Carefully, Dust sat down on the edge of the bed. Luna moved a little in her sleep, but kept on sleeping.

Maybe, Rarity would still be alive. Maybe she would have found somepony else and lived happily, far away from him. He had taken all that away from her. Because of his own cowardice. Even though he couldn't bring Rarity back, he could try to make up for his neglected past by finally confessing. It was a strange feeling. Almost... disgusting. Perverted even. Here he was, about to confess his love for another mare, merely a week after the loss of the love of his life.

It wasn't right and he knew it. A desecration against morality.

But looking down at the blue mare, he just couldn't help it. She saved his life, and won his heart in the process. He wanted to feel ashamed, but he couldn't. It was impossible for him to hate himself for loving, no matter how much he wanted to. It was despicable.

He wiped some hair out of his eyes, and slowly he turned on his side, lifting up his legs into the bed and laying his head down on the empty pillow next to Luna. Again, Luna shifted in her sleep, and took a deep breath, letting out a sigh. Looking up into the tall ceiling, Dust felt as if an invisible weight had dropped from his heart. This felt right. Lying next to Luna, he felt he was doing the right thing. He wanted to stay like this forever.

Not doing anything, not saying a word, just staring into the ceiling, feeling the warm body beside him. He wanted to fall asleep next to her, and wake up with her right there again in the morning. But that would probably be a bad idea. After the incident in the throne room a week ago, being found asleep next to the very same princess... They would have his head.

He had no choice than to do what he came for. He had to tell her. No matter how she reacted, she would at least know. And maybe she wouldn't get too angry at him for invading her personal space like this. Dust shifted to his side, carefully moving his body closer to Luna. As he came closer, something changed a bit in her breathing.

He stayed still for a while. He wanted to wake her up himself somehow, not having Luna wake up by herself, noticing him and calling for the guards. After a while, he gathered enough courage to gently put his hand on her foreleg. Leaning his head close to her ears, he whispered the only thing he could think about at that moment. Why he chose that specific line, he didn't know. It just came to him.

"'Tis some visitor, I muttered. Gently tapping-tapping, upon my chamber door...”

It didn't make any sense at all, it wasn't even romantic or anything, he just felt it suited the situation somehow. And then Luna moved slowly, feeling his hand on her. But she didn't gasp, scream, get up or anything similar. She simply yawned.

"Dust... Is that you?" She asked with a groggy voice, seemingly not fully awake yet.

"Yes... Forgive me for waking you like this... Please, don't be afraid." Dust whispered back.

Luna yawned again, rubbing her face with one of her hooves, and then stretching her legs.

"I'm not." She answered quickly.

"And why is that? Is it because you know Celestia would kill me if she found me here? Or because you know I won't hurt you?"

"I trust you, dust. Although, what you did to that poor pony in the throne room is still making me uneasy."

"That was... unfortunate." Dust answered. "I lost control. And I'm sorry if that kiss offended you...”

"It caught me by surprise, to say the least...” Luna whispered back. "It made me feel... Never mind, I suspect you didn't come here just to discuss that kiss."

Dust sighed and closed his eyes. Now was the moment. He laid his head down on the pillow again, looking at Luna. She still had her back at him, and all he could see was her shimmering blue mane. It seemed like small stars moved around inside it, appearing randomly and then disappearing again. Maybe if he stared at the stars long enough, they would both fall asleep and he wouldn't have to tell her... He could sneak out in the morning...

"What I said in the throne room...” He said, trembling. ".. It was true. I did come there for you. Ever since the day we first met, I've had feelings for you. But because of Rarity, and my own shame, I refused to accept it, to even think about it. I thought I could forget about it, and move on with Rarity... But that was a mistake. Towards the end, I began thinking more and more about you, but since you’re a princess and probably immortal and god knows what else, I thought you would just be disgusted by me. So I stayed with Rarity... and now she's gone."

"Dust... What did you do? I've heard rumors that some pony had gone missing, barely a week ago... Rarity?"

"I..." Dust was afraid to tell her. If he did, she would probably throw him in jail for murder. But at the same time, he wanted to get it out of him badly.

".. I... I killed her." He said slowly. When he closed his mouth, he instantly began crying again. This was the first time he said it, making it a reality.

He removed his hand from Luna, putting both his hands over his face and sobbing into his palms. He really did kill her. And he would have to live with it the rest of his life.

Luna didn't answer him, but he felt her body tense up.

"I'm a monster... A fucking monster. I should just let your sister kill me, I deserve it, deserve to burn in hell for all fucking eternity. I wish I'd never met Rare, then she would still be alive, not a smoldering heap of ash!"

He started punching his hands hard against his face.

"I just lost it, and striked out at her. I was so angry at her for what she did to me the way she ruined my life by fucking that stallion and I wanted to kill them both so I killed her but never found that stallion and then I tried to wake her up again but she didn't and I went insane and ran out in the night screaming after you and your sister to help us so that my poor Rare wouldn't die even though she was already dead and cold as a fucking stone and then I dropped her in the snow and I didn't want to lose her so I picked her up and left her in our bed together with her broken horn and then I burnt down the house and she was still in there getting eaten up by the flames oh fuck god I'm so sorry Rarity please come back to me I don't want to live without you sweetie come back please forgive me I never meant to hurt you FUCK!"

He spoke frantically, his entire body shaking and tears streaming from his eyes. He tried to get free as Luna held him down, trying to comfort him. It felt as if something had broken inside his head.

"Dust, stop it! You're only making it worse!" She yelled at him as he kept on spouting out more and more incomprehensible words.

"Lis-listen to me! You're not a monster!"

"Yes I am! I killed her and so many other innocent ponies and I threatened to kill you sister and I've got huge fucking wings and burning red eyes and..!"

"If you were a monster you wouldn't feel this quilt and sorrow!" She yelled back at him. She tried to put her hooves around his face to stop him from shaking his head violently back and forth. "Calm down or I'll have to use my magic on you!"

Dust didn't stop. He broke free from her grip, continuing to shake and cry. Hesitantly, Luna let her magic course through her into her horn. She touched his forehead with it, trying to use her magic to calm him down, sedate him. But instead, Dust pushed her off. He kicked with his legs and arched his back upwards, as if someone had tied a string around his stomach and were pulling on it.

He opened his mouth and screamed.

Then he finally fell silent. Her magic had worked, it seemed. Luna climbed back up in bed after having been pushed off of it, and laid down next to Dust. He wasn't sleeping, he had passed out. Even though she didn't enjoy using her magic like this, it was for his best. Who knows what he might have done otherwise.

Luna had a lot to process right now. Apparently, this man, Dust, who looked completely harmless, was a deranged killer. And he had feelings for her. But she didn't see any wings or red eyes, as he had claimed. Perhaps the stress of accepting what he'd done to Rarity had been too much, causing him to slip into some dream world where he saw himself as a winged beast?

And what would she do when he woke up? Did she have any feelings for him as well? That kiss last week did feel... special. Thinking back to it, she was sure he was telling the truth about his feelings for her. All his feelings had been projected to her through one simple kiss. But she had no idea how to tackle the results of this.

It became too much to think about. Too many questions, too much worry. She decided to just lock the door to prevent anyone from finding Dust, and then go back to sleep. There really wasn't much else to do. Perhaps Dust would feel somewhat better in the morning. And luckily for Dust, she was much more forgiving than her sister.

"You have to forgive yourself, Dust."

All was quiet when Dust woke up. The ceiling above him was pitch black, and he couldn't even make it out in the shadows. He recognized the bed poles. He was still in Luna’s bed, but it was so dark and cold. He moved his head up to look down on the bed. He was lying on his back, and the blankets had been pulled up to his shoulders. Also, his coat had been removed. He didn't actually realize that until he saw it hanging on a chair close to the bed.

Yawning, he felt a light pressure on his chest. He looked to his right, and saw Luna sleeping right next to him, almost a bit too close... And he realized the pressure on his chest was actually one of her forelegs stretched out over it. What the hell had happened yesterday? He couldn't remember anything after the point he started crying, except an excruciating pain.

Did they..? He looked at Luna. She looked so peaceful, with a small smile on her lips. No, of course they didn't... He would never do something like that after what he'd been through the last couple of weeks... But still, someone had removed his coat, tucked him in bed and Luna was really close to him.
Really close.

"Luna?" He whispered with such a low voice, he almost didn't hear it himself. "You awake?"

Almost instantly, Luna opened her eyes. Maybe she wasn't sleeping at all.

".. What happened to me?" Dust asked.

"I'm not sure...” Luna answered with equally low voice. "You panicked, and seemed to have some sort of... seizure."

"So that's why I remember nothing but pain...” Dust turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. "Did you..?"

"Yes, I thought you would be cold without some blankets...” She said in an apologetic tone.

"... Thanks. You can let go off me now if you want to, I'm not cold anymore."

But Luna didn't move. Instead, she turned away her eyes from him.

"I... I don't want to let go." She whispered. Dust could sense some sadness in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Dust asked her.

Luna was quiet for a while. She closed her eyes and laid her head down against his shoulder. For a while, Dust thought she had fallen asleep, and he closed his eyes to try and get some sleep as well.

"That kiss...” Luna’s voice broke the silence surrounding them. "It... made me feel... I don't know."

"I'm sure you know." Dust said. "You're just afraid to admit it. Like me."

Luna closed her eyes again. For a split second, Dust felt sorry for her. She had seemed so strong when he met her, as if she always knew how to deal with a situation. But now, she was just as unsure and scared as him. Perhaps even more than him.

He didn't get much farther in his thoughts. Without opening her eyes, Luna had moved her head towards him, giving him a quick kiss. And just as fast as she had kissed him, she pulled away. Dust didn't even have time to realize what she was doing.

"I’m sorry." She said, blushing, clearly embarrassed over her actions." I-I just don't want to be lonely anymore...”

The way she spoke and acted reminded Dust of a child, unsure of how other people worked. At first he thought it strange, but then he remembered... The book Rarity gave him. No, don't think about her. He remembered the part about Luna’s banishment... And with that in mind, her behavior made more sense. If she had been on the moon for a thousand years, of course she wouldn't know much about other people...

"Don't be ashamed, Luna." Dust whispered. "I understand this feels strange to you... But... you're not lonely anymore."

Luna looked back at him, and Dust saw something shiny building up around her lower eyelid. Dust threw away all his thoughts of Rarity, and gave Luna another kiss. No more guilt, no more uncertainty. And he was sure that if Rarity had been alive, she would have wanted him to be happy. To feel love.

They kissed in silence. Both of them forgot everything else, the world around them disappearing between their lips. Lost in passion. A passion they both needed, to end their loneliness and sadness. The past didn't matter anymore, it was gone, as well as the future. All that mattered was that moment, their connection.

Pressing themselves closer to each other, they both felt the others heartbeat. For a moment, it was as if they were beating together as one.

They eventually pulled away from each other, still in silence. Luna’s eyes sparkled in the pale moonlight shining through the windows. Dust felt he just wanted to hold her in his arms, to fall asleep with her. Then a thought popped up in his head. But it wasn't his thought, not his idea. He couldn't stop himself from uttering the words.

"Be my queen." He whispered, still looking into her eyes.

"What do you mean..?" Luna asked him hesitantly.

Dust once again lowered his head down on the pillows. Luna followed him, resting the side of her face against his neck.

"You and me. We could rule Equestria." Dust said. "We both know your sister is no longer... fit to rule."

Luna didn't answer, but she knew Dust was right. Celestia had grown into a spiteful creature, brewing hate for everything and everyone not related to ponies. Not that she'd ever been that good of a sister either.

"If you'll be my queen, you'll get whatever you want... I can give you anything you desire. Power, respect. Love. The people would love you the same way they love your sister, except you would be a much better ruler than her. Together, we would make the people overcome their fear of the moon and the night, allowing them to bathe in the pale moonlight, and in your beauty. And you'll have my love. We would spawn a new society, one dedicated to you and the moon...”

"That... Sounds great." Luna whispered, snuggling closer to Dust. "But wouldn't that new society need a name?"

"Maybe...” Dust answered." What about... The Lunar Republic?"

"Lunar Republic... Yes, I like that." Luna said with a smile on her face.

"I thought so." Dust smiled back. "And I swear by god, if anyone does anything against you, anything to harm you... I'll kill them. There won't be a single place in the world for them to hide. Nopony will hurt my queen."

"But...” Luna said with an uncertain voice. ".. You won't be around forever. You're mortal. And I'll lose you someday...” Her voice started to tremble.

"Don't worry about that." Dust said, loosening himself from her grip, rolling around, placing himself on top of her. "There is a way for me to live forever."

They kissed again, and Luna reached her arms around him, trying to get him closer.

".. How?" She asked between their kisses.

"Unicorn magic."

Their kissing became more agitated, rolling around playfully several times across the bed. They both forgot about being careful, quickly running both hands and hooves over each other’s bodies. Eventually, they came to a stop, with Luna looking down on Dust's face. She gave him another kiss, and then mustered all her courage to speak.

"I...” She began. "I... I think I love you, Dust.."

They both smiled, and continued their playful kissing in the light of the moon.