Moon hopped from balcony to balcony, entrance to entrance, door to door, and window to window. Nopony had seen that pink and white unicorn anywhere. Although she floated on cloud nine emotionally, she started to feel a bit anxious.

The alicorn found herself atop the window to some kind of storage closet. She panted. I just… I just can’t believe… I built this blasted place! MYSELF! How— my goodness— is it that I don’t even know my way around anymore? She lied flat down on the roof for a moment. She knew that she might want to give herself have some time to think— some time to sort out the torrent of various emotions.

Something had seriously changed. This horrible dark cloud had vaporized from her brain. If any little remnants of what happened on the moon over so many centuries still clung to her… she couldn’t feel it anymore at all. The last little hateful, negative feelings that clung onto her spirit barely hung on— like tiny flecks of dirt on otherwise elegant slippers.

“I just…” Moon said to herself, and she rubbed her head against the stone tiles, “It’s okay. I just need to find him. Finish my date. It’s okay. It’ll all work out. I know it. I promise.” She surveyed the castle grounds below her. Various ponies milled about at the commands of her darkly dressed goons.

The alicorn felt a bit ashamed as she saw a gigantic stallion shoving around a nervous little colt with an orange mane. She braced herself to jump down and interfere, but she halted just a second afterward. That’s… That’s… On my orders… Or was it? Who’s in charge when I’m gone anyway? Where would they… How could they even rule if I didn’t say anything to them? Oh, my goodness, what a mess this is…

“It’s okay,” she repeated to herself. She glanced around again. She suddenly spotted a pinkish white something forty feet to her right and below her. She let out a loud squeal, and she hurled herself down.

“Ooof!” the pony let out. Moon had knocked the horse right over.

“Oh, we’re so happy to see you, so happy to find you… here… a-again?” Moon began, and then she very quickly became very confused.

“Na’thmare Moon,” the young filly said, and her eyes grew wide behind her thick purple glasses, “Mam sa’th it’th jus’th mi ima’jun’a’thun… Bu’th eh’ kneew da’th wah’hen we ge’th ta Pony’vale…”

“I’m, I’m sorry,” the alicorn said, and she got off of the filly’s body. Moon blushed.

“Eh’ th’ll Th’waberri, mi cou’thin, and awll hes frien’th da’th he… he…” the filly went on.

“Strawberry?” Moon asked, looking intensely at the filly. She seemed to melt into the muddy ground at the alicorn’s sharp attention.

“Th’waberri?” the filly squeaked.

“Where, where is he?” Moon asked. She realized how threatening she looked, and then she stood back upright. She lowered her voice. “Please… I’m looking for him.”

“Eh’ th’aw hem, and Th’waberri lalked pra’thy th’ad,” the pink and white foal went on, “Eh’ da dis’thappered.” She strained to eke out that last word.

“We are, uh, very sorry, but we must be going,” Moon said, and then she flew back up towards the top of the castle. She spotted her bedroom, and then she stepped into it. Given how quickly the castle had been put together, everything laid scattered about in a gigantic mess. Paints, wallpapers, chairs, couches, desks, and many other things piled up upon each other.

Got to find something… Got to think… Of something… Something… She sped around the room— hoping that she might see or even accidentally step on some item that would give her an idea. “A-ha!” Moon exclaimed. She came across a box filled with magical scrolls. “Easy, easy, easy… I’ll… We’ll just direct one of these right to you. Now, I just need to— We just need to figure out what to write.”

“Dear Strawberry,” she narrated, “We enjoyed the past evening, yet we feel that the events are far from over… Our little outburst…” She then tore it up. No, no, NO! Too formal!

“Dear Strawberry, we had such a fantastic time this past evening, now, when it comes to what we said about Fluttershy… Please, let us explain…” Moon said aloud. She ripped up that scroll as well. She took a deep breath.

“Dear Strawberry, we are very sorry for everything that we said and did, and we would understand if you never wanted… to…” she read aloud, and her voice fluttered, “See… us ever… a-again…” Wait! Just wait one moment! She tore that paper in two, and she hurled the remains against the wall.

“Dear Strawberry, we know that things have… We know that it has… We think… We…” she stammered, and she fought back another bought of tears. It’ll be okay… I think. Won’t it… I hope.

“Dear Strawberry, I… I… I… I…” she whispered, “I… I…” She realized that she hadn’t written a thing on the scroll yet. “I… I…” Need you… Only you...

“Dear Strawberry!” Moon called out. “STRAWBERRY!” Please!

She picked up the box of scrolls and smashed it upon the ceiling. She blew a hole through the tiles, and she didn’t care one bit. She jumped onto the couch in front of her, and she tipped it over. She rammed her horn into a bookcase, toppling it over.

She stamped around a pile of wallpaper— kicking it in all directions. She backed up into a big something tucked under a bed sheet. She bucked into it with all of her strength. It flew into the wall besides the massive window with a loud crash.

The alicorn turned around, and she realized that it had been a mirror. She stepped up slowly— still seething. She stared at the thousand little Nightmare Moons reflected back at her on every piece. It felt so appropriate. I’m so broken… She rested herself on the window, closed her eyes tightly, and sobbed.

“STRAWWWWWWBERY!” Moon moaned.

“Whaaaaaaaaat!” a familiar voice shouted back from outside the window.

The alicorn popped upwards. She leaned out until she had almost fallen right out. She gazed straight down, and she saw the unicorn yards and yards below her. He looked up at her as well.

“I… I thought you had just left. Given up. Marks said that you came by, looking so sad,” Moon called out to him. She couldn’t quite see his face, but he clearly seemed to be pretty happy.

“I walked by, and Marks told me you flew away from our date but then sailed right past the castle towards Canterlot. We had thought that… That meant it was all over,” Strawberry replied.

“It’s…” Moon began, searching for words. She gave up. “Just… don’t worry about it! Stay right there! I’ll come down!” She pushed herself out of the window, and she stepped down the roof ever closer.

“I went by the battlefield!” Strawberry yelled.

Moon immediately froze. Oh, oh no. Oh, no. No. NO. She found herself halfway to him— lying atop of the window to some random storage room. “S-s-so…” Moon said back. What… what can I do? What could I possibly say? It… Oh, please Strawberry!

“Eeeeyup,” the unicorn said. He also searched for words. “So… Will you ever… Ever… Will it… Change?”

“I’ve…” Moon began, “I’ve changed. It will change. I promise.”

“The eternal night. Summer Wind. Twist. Everypony else… It’s just…” Strawberry said. He felt like trailing off into nothing, but he then gathered an inner strength. “Your highness, please… It just… has to change.”

“I promise,” the alicorn replied. It will be alright. It will be okay. It will work out. It has to.

“Your highness,” Strawberry began.

“Strawberry, we promise,” Moon said. She tried to put every last bit of her sincerity into her voice. She seemed to regain that sing-song quality that she had over in the forest park. The alicorn noticed that Strawberry nodded silently. He had to have no idea what to do next.

“So, ah…” the unicorn said, “I uh… wanted… I thought… maybe… One more thing. One last part of the date that I wanted to do.”

“What?” she asked.

He pulled out the guitar once again. The alicorn clapped a little. She made a huge grin. Strawberry grinned in response.

“So… a-ha…” He held the instrument tightly, and he began. He shifted his hooves as he cooed. “Aaaaaah… ahhhaah… Aaaaaah...” He strummed. “The moon at night… It shines so bright. Seems to shine twice as bright… When you're young and in love.”

“Oooooooooh,” Moon sang with him.

“Dreams can come true… If you believe they do,” Strawberry continued, “ When you're young and in love.” He threw his hooved down a lot stronger.

“Strawberry,” Moon whispered.

“So many teardrops… about to fall… True love, can conquer all,” he sang, “When you're…” He raised his voice. “When you're young…” He looked right up at her. “And… in love.”

She clapped. She stood up on the roof tiles, and she stamped her hooves together in joy. Oh… It’s… so beautiful. She saw Strawberry take a gulp. He clearly had run out of ideas past then. Moon smiled. She had something in store for him now. She wouldn’t hold back anymore.

The alicorn suddenly leapt out of the window. She beat her wings— twisting around the air like little tornadoes. Strawberry let out an ‘eep’ as she grabbed him. She swooped towards the ground and then right back into the air like an eagle nabbing its prey.

Strawberry seemed to want to scream, but he didn’t. He clutched her body tightly. He jittered as well. His eyes couldn’t be more shut if Moon had glued them together.

“What’s the matter, silly?” Moon asked. They had gotten a lot of air— moving straight up. The new castle had just become a dot under them.

“I-I’m rather a-afraid of h-heights,” the unicorn squeaked out. The alicorn paused in the air for a moment. She rubbed his frizzy hair and rubbed his head closer to her chest.

“Oh, could there be any safer place in Equestria for you? Here… in our arms?” she asked.

Strawberry opened his eyes at a snail’s pace. He found himself looking straight up at the night sky. He heard a soft chuckle behind him, and then the scenery began to speed past him. The clouds and stars and everything else blended into the soft, comforting blackness. He felt an odd combination of warm, happy, nervous, and terrified.

“Great view, right?” the alicorn asked. Her voice sounded so chipper that she might as well had sung those words.

“W-where are we g-going?” Strawberry asked.

“Surprise!” Moon called out. She swung back and forth in the air, wings flapping strong. “You’ll love it!”