"We... are glad that you enjoy our eternal night," Moon replied. She felt totally lost. You.. She eyed him as he shifted on the trunk, throwing his poofy pink hair all about. You little worm... Stop hiding. Stop putting it all off. I can see right through you, twerp, and I know you have this secret little game you're playing. But what is it? What do you REALLY want?

"It's sort of funny," Strawberry said, and he reached over at the satchel once more. He pulled out two metal cases. "When you think about it. You... uh, your highness, mentioned my cutie mark. And, yeah, my parents were always hoping for it. Always hoping that I would join with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and cook..."

Moon shifted a bit closer, curious at what he had brought out. Why are we wasting our time with whatever inspid little gift he would have? Obviously, it would never compare to the finest of the royal kitchens. This whole thing is a total waste of time. She had to stop herself and shake her head a little. She couldn't describe the odd sensation.

These thoughts that had once formed a hard, protective shell-- all this defiance, this confidence, this vengeance-- had seemed to have detached themselves from the rest of her brain. She still thought them, and they were still... there... Yet it had gotten so weird. It's not a waste of time... How could I tell myself that? Goodness, would going through thousands more subject's complains be any more fun? She felt, somehow, that part of herself was being boiled up and out-- like steam escaping a pot. The alicorn shook her head again to regain composure.

"I had the blue light over me, and they were so proud," Strawberry went on. Moon thought for a second that he was oblivious to her own inner war, but as soon as their eyes met again-- she knew he saw through her like an open window. "The thing is: I've never, ever been much of cook. I'm barely tolerable. I have a hard enough time boiling water. I'm an eater, that's all. An eater with nice enough taste, thankfully." He smiled at her.

Moon suddenly flashed back to a moment as a little filly when she had snuck into the royal kitchen. She replayed going through an ancient recipe book, getting frustrated at the fancy terms, and then hurling it to the ground-- she would make her own dish, forget everypony else and their rules! She felt happy recalling her defiance, even then in her foalhood. She threw together whatever smelled the nicest into the big pot, and then she lit it up with her own magic-- not even bothering with the stove. Pieces had then flown everywhere. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Strawberry giggled a bit back, and then the alicorn abruptly snapped back into her scowl. What's... What's wrong with me? Those days are LONG past! I've now accepted my true destiny-- that poor little foal was weak, helpless, stupid... She's dead now! Moon tried to think up a smart, sarcastic remark to say to Strawberry's mini-story. Yet her negative feelings faded again, and she just seemed... blank again.

"So... as an eater... I had hoped that your highness would join me in a moonlight snack," the unicorn said. He pulled out two small plates from the two metal boxes with his magic. Moon surveyed the items in front of her.

"Interesting," she muttered, "We would certainly enjoy... we would love... to dine with..." She got pretty sick of keeping up royal decorum when they were alone in the middle of the forest.

"So, I know that I couldn't complete in the classy and elegant department," Strawberry said, "So, I went with things that I thought you'd might miss, being all cooped up and isolated over in the castle." The unicorn pointed at the flaky, dark brown wafers layered on top of each other. "There's your garden-variety hay fries... but deep fried and salted and spiced up to an extent that would make a royal chef have a conniption... Other ponies would worry about their figures if they had too many of these, but of course an object of absolute beauty and perfection like your highness would have no problem."

He's smiling again... that sickly sweet, wanting smile... No, it almost makes me want to lose my lunch already... Moon thought that, yet her attitude swung back like a weather vane. "Oh, we think that it smells delicious," she said.

"There's also some wonderful apple fritters from Applejack, made the special way only she could," Strawberry said. The alicorn gazed at the golden brown treat, and she loved how the liberal dose of sugary sprinkles on the top shone in the bright moonlight. She felt like gulping it down right that moment, yet something bugged her deep in her subconsious.

Applejack... Applejack... She flashed black to a moment of intense pain just a few hours ago. She heard intense shouting. She saw an orange earth pony with an odd tiara-like thing, and that mare smarted off at Moon with this obnoxious backwoods accent. Moon recalled the horrible wave of electricity that shot through her. She almost fell over behind the trunk with the powerful memory. Like... cracking... like what an egg must feel just before breakfast... Oh, please... no... leave me alone... PLEASE, NO! Something had scrambled inside of her, yet it also felt-- somehow-- just halfway finished.

Applejack and those other smarmy little dipsticks tried to wipe her out, but they had failed. She made it. And that orange twerp screamed really, really loud after I got my hooves into her afterward... She didn't smile thinking of her victory, though. She didn't feel happy at it anymore. She just felt empty. She had the same blank sensation as watching the royal clock tick.

"Your highness, your highness," Strawberry called out to her. She suddenly realized that she had slumped halfway over in her spot. The unicorn had jumped over and held himself just inches away from Moon. Strawberry clearly wanted to cradle her exactly like a husband with an ill wife, yet he felt too afraid and he kept a short distance.

"I... We, are, alright," Moon murmured, and she got back up straight. She looked over to him, now sitting so close. Any memories of pain washed right out of her. What is it about you, and your huge-- always open eyes-- that makes me... feel so... better? It's like I see the night itself deep in your eyes. "Pro-- proceed, please, Strawberry."

Strawberry bounced with happiness. He pointed at the last item. "That's my own specialty. It's sort of like a midnight-themed treat. It's strawberries mixed in with a semi-creamy dark chocolate. Yet it doesn't have that strong taste you normally have with dark chocolate. It's got a sparkly, seductive kind of feel from all of the minty flakes thrown in," he went on, and he seemed to beam with every word. Moon couldn't help showing her interest and her hunger.

"We call that 'Twilight Kiss'," Strawberry added, "I can thank Pinkie Pie for coming up with that name." He smiled yet again.

Pinkie... That was another name that made Moon's mind stop. Yet, this time, she didn't recall anything. She felt nothing. The events of the past few hours, the past several centuries banished, and the years upon years beforehand all blurred across her mind. It has to be... She locked eyes with Strawberry for the umpteenth time. His frizzy mane had shifted down; the pink curls covered part of his eyes both under and over his glasses.

Dork... The itchy, scratchy part of her mind flashed a fantasy of shoving the plate right into Strawberry's face and laughing. No... The rest of her felt stronger, louder. It's... so adorable! She felt a little flutter in her heart. It has to be... Well, it's blindingly obvious? Isn't it? I'm happy. It makes ponies happy to be with other ponies that care for them. That's as natural as breathing.

"To go with that, I brought these as well," Strawberry said, and he pulled out these two bottles with an almost glowing bluish liquid. Moon picked it up with her magic and brought it by her lips. "I don't have a name for it. It's sort of like a minty tea, but I tried to go for a more... say... round taste. An even, smooth taste. I don't know. Would your highness have a name? Something like 'Midnight Grace'? 'Midnight Oil'?"

Moon had a few sips, and she genuinely felt impressed. She'd be sure to have him talk to Dazzling Marks about this drink sometime. "Why not, just," she said, and the wheels turned in her head, "Call it simply 'Midnight'? We believe that keeping things simple is always nice."

"Sure," Strawberry said, and he nodded. He pulled his own plate closer. "I suppose we can start right now. It's so wonderful to eat when you're taking in the whole night, every last star shining on your body... every last bit of it soothing you inside. Nothing in the world could be more relaxing."

Moon nibbled at the apple fritter, and then she tried the hay fries. She couldn't place the tastes, but she knew she enjoyed the dishes before. Yet it had to have been so long. I suppose I might have well been born yesterday, coming back from... the... moon... She then realized something. Of course, it... it... it's been so long that I... I don't even know what it feels like. I don't know the normal pony emotions. To have a brother. A sister. A friend. A... coltfriend.

Moon gazed at Strawberry as he ate. He seemed to want to suck everything up in a matter of seconds, yet he struggled heroically to measure every bite. He strained to keep the food far enough from his mane and mouth to avoid crumbs. Still, he failed, picking up a bevy of tiny apple bits in his poofy pink curls.

"Drat," he mouthed. He tried to nudge his hair with his hooves as inconspicuously as possible. When that failed, he shifted himself slowly off of the tree trunk. Moon felt his airy feeling all about her, and she let out a small giggle.

Strawberry halted. He realized that he had sat up on the ground and bent himself exactly like a puppy scraching its ear. His face turned a matching pink to his mane.

"Were you a dog in a past life?" Moon asked. She smiled back at him. She didn't try to hide it anymore, she just went ahead and let herself show every last bit of the emotion.

"Perhaps," he replied. He sat back on the trunk. He looked terrified-- clearly wondering whether Moon found his lapse of manners carelessly disgusting or humorously charming.

"Thank you for this, Strawberry," Moon said. She used her magic to place the empty plate and bottle back into her box herself. "We very much appreciated it."

"I feel..." Strawberry said, and he seemed totally lost for words. He paused for several awkward seconds. "I'm so very honored to make you happy, your highness. I just want to make you happy." He blanched when he finished-- sounding a bit desperate.

"What would you like to do now, Strawberry," Moon said. She put on a sing-song tone to her voice that surprised her. She hadn't talked like that for a thousand years, yet now it came out naturally without a thought.

"I would," Strawberry said, and he brought the satchel back to himself. He paused, rummaging through it. "I would, well... This isn't the right area, sorry. The acoustics would be a little off."

"Acoustics?" repeated the alicorn. Strawberry got up, having put everything back away, and he headed over to the end of the clearing besides the rest of the path. He gave her a friendly wave, and she followed him.