The air was saturated with the pungent, salty miasma of the marsh. Luna could not avoid wading through the mud and brackish water that surrounded her. The princess was not afraid of getting dirty, and she thought it impractical to fly ten feet to the weathered boathouse that stood before her; still, she took immense pride in her appearance, especially when she was about to make a first—and last—impression.
As she walked into the boathouse, Luna’s left front hoof broke through the rotting wooden floor. The startled alicorn cried out and jerked her leg back, cursing under her breath and seething in pain as she caught sight of the deep cut that the sharp, jagged edges of the hole had dealt her. A scarlet rivulet trickled down her leg, and Luna huffed in annoyance. She illuminated her horn and magically healed the wound, then stepped carefully through the inky blackness. The air in the building was thick with evil, as if something incomprehensibly terrible had happened within the ancient walls of the dilapidated structure. The negative energy in this place was so strong that it nearly stopped Luna in her tracks. The princess was suddenly hit by an overwhelming urge to turn and run, but she knew she had to keep going; she was needed here. Luna’s ears flicked nervously in every direction. As she took a few more steps, she heard the unmistakable sound of crying. Without thinking, Luna took off in the direction of the cries.
Eventually, the sound led Luna to a padlocked door. The princess sent forth a turquoise bolt of magic that broke the lock in half, then she shoved the heavy metal door open and gagged at the sharp odors of vomit, ammonia and filth that greeted her. In the far corner of the room, a dark gray Earth colt, who looked to be around eight or nine years old, lay motionless. His body was riddled with cigarette burns, and his underside, like the floor, was caked with old and new urine and feces. Rotten food, cigarette butts, filth, cockroaches, and maggots littered the ground. Flies buzzed everywhere. Luna rushed forward and lowered her head to give the foal a gentle nudge, but it was too late.
With an angry huff, Luna entered the dream realm, where the colt still lay curled into a ball, shaking with fear, but physically healed. The princess nuzzled him, and he stirred. The foal’s brown eyes widened when he saw Luna. She smiled warmly and lay down beside him to make herself look a little less imposing.
“Fear not, Steel Heart,” Luna said gently. “I am here to help you. I know you must be so confused and scared right now, but I am going to escort you to a place where you will never feel any pain again. Your suffering is over. Would you like some ice cream? What’s your favorite flavor?”
“P-pony tracks,” Steel Heart stammered quietly. Luna nodded and magically created a bowl of the fudge-filled ice cream, which the colt devoured ravenously. Even as he ate, Steel Heart’s eyes served as windows to a lifetime of sadness.
Luna cleaned the colt off with a bathing spell after he had finished eating, then she cuddled him under her wing and asked him about his last wishes. Steel Heart cast a thoughtful look at the stars. After a few minutes, he looked up at the princess beside him.
“I wish you could make sure that nopony else is ever hurt by a grown-up again,” he said quietly. Luna’s heart clenched, her throat tightening. She nodded in agreement and gave Steel Heart a sad smile.
“Unfortunately, I cannot prevent such terrible things from happening,” Luna sighed. “I can’t use a pony’s dreams as evidence of abuse. I am powerless. Believe me, young one, if I could save you from what is about to happen, I would do so, but I cannot. I can only comfort you in your dreams, and…” Luna swallowed hard, “…and give you a peaceful journey to the other side in a few moments.” Steel Heart sobbed, and Luna wished she could take his place. He was too young, too pure.
“Princess Luna, I’m scared,” the foal whimpered, pressing against the alicorn’s side. Luna nuzzled him tenderly and wrapped her wings around him.
“It is quite normal to be scared,” she told him gently, “but you have nothing to fear now. I will not leave you. Do you have any wishes? Anything you want to do?” Steel Heart shook his head, still crying.
“I just want somepony to love me,” he sobbed, burying his face into her side. Luna’s tears finally breached their dam as she heard the little foal’s request. She let out an inaudible sob, then quickly steeled herself and magically dried her eyes. A few seconds passed before Luna could speak without breaking down.
“Steel Heart,” she whispered, inhaling deeply, “you are loved. I love you. I will not leave you; you have my word. You’re about to go to a place where you will be safe and loved forever.”
“C-can you go with me?” Steel Heart asked, his face full of uncertainty. Luna sighed again; she hated this question.
“Yes and no,” she replied. “I can walk with you to the gates, but after you pass through those gates, you won’t need me. Trust me, you’ll only see light and happiness. I will make certain that you will not feel any pain.” Steel Heart’s brow furrowed, but he nodded.
“I trust you, Princess,” he said. “My only wish is that somepony in heaven will be my friend; I didn’t have any friends at school because my parents never let me go there. They said I was too stupid to go to school.” Steel Heart said this so nonchalantly that Luna nearly lost her composure again, but she took another deep breath.
“You will have many, many friends in heaven,” she promised the colt. “You will get to play with lots of different foals every single day forever, and you’ll never have to stop playing. You’ll never be tired or hungry, and you’ll have fun all the time.” Steel Heart’s eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded excitedly.
“I’m ready, Princess,” he said, prancing in place with anticipation. “I’m ready to go to my new home. I’m not scared anymore.” Luna smiled and walked with Steel Heart toward the gates, gasping as he quickened his pace to a gallop and charged through them. She waited until the gates disappeared to fall to her knees and sob uncontrollably in the main part of the dream realm. This little foal had just embraced death with heartbreakingly unnatural grace for a pony his age. Luna couldn’t fathom how terrible his short life must have been for him to die so fearlessly. Sniffling, she composed herself and stood quickly, preparing to help whoever needed her next.