//------------------------------//
// The Dam Breaks 
// Story: The Tale of The White Night 
// by DraconequusMaximus 
//------------------------------//

White unaware he had been spied upon by his new friend, was quickly gaining air. White had never been as strong as the other thestrals, but the night sky was his territory and none could best him for speed. Normally he would revel in how clear and crisp the air above his new home was, tonight however his thoughts were just as clouded as the smoggy air in Canterlot. He couldn't get a certain golden earth pony out of his thoughts, not for lack of trying though.
"Why is he so nice to me? Everypony I've ever gotten to know besides Luna has done nothing but hurt me or make things worse." He thought to himself. His thoughts even started to wander into romantic territory eventually (he took a moment to thank the moon that thestrals don't get wing boners or he would drop out of the sky from immobile wings.) Soon enough the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, & not wanting to get sun-burnt he began flying back to his new home & hopefully a sleeping host.
He managed to return before the sun was completely up and gracefully landed a couple yards away from the door. He slowly crept into the ever cheery pony's home hoping not to disturb the most likely sleeping pony, but just as he thought he was safe when the door latched shut he looked in horror at the coat rack to find his cloak missing. He let out a startled gasp and covered his mouth as quickly as possible, but it was obviously too late as just a moment later he heard: "That you White? I'm in here doing the wash, my vest was mighty dirty & I noticed your cloak was a might dirty too from dragging the ground."
"u-um how long till it's dry?" Replied an extremely shaky thestral. 
"Well its still a tad dark out & i just put it on the line before you came in so might be awhile." Said Braeburn with just enough smugness that White would have caught onto, had he not been frozen in panic. After a moment of uncomfortable silence Brae quickly hung up his vest on the line outside & trotted back into the house through the kitchen. When he entered the living room he found nopony there, until he noticed a tufted ear poking out behind the couch. At this point Braeburn felt pretty bad about what he had done to see White without his security blanket of a cloak. He quietly trotted up to the front of the couch & said:
"White, I feel lower than a rattlesnake been run over by a cart. I was watching you last night when you were leaving, & I wanted to see you like that again, in the daylight."
White took several moments to process this alien notion before poking his head over the couch a bit looking at the soft expression on his host's face. It melted some of the barriers he had put up around himself, nopony had ever looked at him like that before except Luna but that had been more of a mix of motherly feelings and guilt.The look upon Braeburn's face assured him that everything would be alright if only for awhile. He slowly walked out from behind his couch-shield and closed his eyes as Brae stared at his undisguised form. A moment passed and White opened his eyes to see Braeburn with a different almost longing expression on his face, complete with an intense blush. At this time Braeburn once again found only one word in his vocabulary: "Beautiful." 
"Whuh?" Was the only reaction White could formulate at this response. Much to both ponies' surprise Braeburn stepped toward White & embraced him. This confused White immensely but he once again felt the stress of everything vanish, but instead of being replaced by burning rage he began filling up with warmth he had never felt before. Thestrals are most comfortable in the cold, but the warmth White was experiencing made him forget that fact.All White could do was cry, but for the first time ever they were tears of happiness from the first real affection he had ever been given. He was already tired when he came home and the newfound warmth of the pony holding him tightly made it easy to drift into slumber.
As White for the first time in memory flew through happy dreams of meadows filled with moonlight, he came upon something he had never dreamed of before. Apple trees, they where absolutely everywhere and inlaid in the bark of the largest of these trees there seemed to be a door marked with a crest he recognized, the royal seal of the moon. He opened the door not knowing what to find. A bright silvery light erupted outward blinding him. When he opened his eyes again he was in a familiar, very blue room. Princess Luna chose this moment to materialize before him, startling him momentarily. He immediately tried to regain his composure to bow to his sovereign but she motioned for him to relax.
"White Night it pleases us greatly to see thine dreams becoming so pleasant and inviting so soon after your trauma, but it makes us wonder how such a change has occurred so swiftly. Your dreams before departing Canterlot were filled with unpleasantness." She stated in a motherly tone.
"I've made a friend your majesty."
Luna seemed to contemplate this answer before she waved her horn through the air cutting space itself.White looked on astonished as the cut grew until he could see the dreamland he had just been in Luna stared at the scene & suddenly she waved her hoof across the cut and it was gone.
"Tell us, what is the significance of the apple orchard surrounding the meadow?" She asked with a raised brow. White honestly hadn't thought too much of the trees until Luna pointed out that they surrounded everything in his dreamland.
"My new friend has an apple for a cutie-mark your highness." He said sheepishly.
"If this friend of yours can effect your dreams so much and undo the wrongs we did unto thee so quickly we think we would like to meet him." Luna said with a warm smile. 
"You want us to come to Canterlot?" White asked nervously.
"Nay White Night we shall visit the upon the morrow's sunset." Luna said noticing White's apprehensiveness at the thought of returning to Canterlot.
"Tomorrow night?" He asked surprised that a princess would set hoof in a nowhere town like Apploosa.
"Do you know how to get to Apploosa your majesty?"
"We have visited the dreams of citizens of the hamlet before and have the location memorized, I will teleport there as my sister lowers the sun. I will raise the moon when I arrive." Luna said
Before White could say anything about this surprise visit the world around him and Luna seemed to fade to blackness.
"Ah, it seems we are out of time White Night enjoy you're night & we shall see thee soon." Luna managed to say as even she faded into the dark.
White awoke on the same couch he had cowered behind earlier covered in a large homemade quilt covered in many different apple themed cutie marks. As he sat up he heard a loud yawn coming from the other side of the room. There in a comfy recliner was a Barely awake Braeburn. 
"Seems we both just slept the day away. Don't worry about it none though I got a couple days off from the orchard still." Said the golden pony wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"So... are you an angel or sumthin?"
At this White was left speechless for an indeterminate period of time. Slowly repairing his now shattered thoughts he said: "Um... no? Aren't angels supposed to have feathery white wings and halos?"
Braeburn thought about this for a moment before facehooving, followed by falling backwards in his chair laughing at his idiotic question. Once he stopped laughing and got some air he smiled and said: "Suppose your right, pardon me, but I've never seen a pony like you before & i wasn't quite sure what to think of you bein' all secretive an' such."
"It's okay. I'm a thestral, we aren't as common as other ponies and most of us never leave Canterlot."
"Why wouldn't you wanna go out see the world?' Braeburn asked with a curious expression on his face.
"We like to be near princess Luna, thestrals see her as their queen because she saved our species a long time ago and stopped a war from breaking out." He explained
"Really? Wouldn't she want you to go out and live the lives she saved? Is that why you're in Apploosa?"
White's fairly bright mood shattered as instantly as the question passed the farm-pony's lips. Braeburn took notice of this and realized he had unintentionally reopened some wounds that were still healing. 
"I'm mighty sorry if I said something to offend." He said softly as he trotted over to his hurt friend wrapping him back under the quilt and holding him close to himself.
"You don't have to say anything if you don't wanna but Brae's here to listen if'n you wanna talk." He said as tears slowly fell from his friend's eyes. After a few moments White began to pour his soul out to the golden pony telling him of why he had left Canterlot behind, & of why he was so ashamed of himself and his appearance, & of more personal things that Braeburn hated to admit he was a little glad to hear. Braeburn put his romantic thought brought on by the news that the beautiful broken creature in his forelegs was of the same orientation aside as White began to talk of his family. White had been abused in every way imaginable growing up, He had run away at 15 & lied about his age to get a job on the other side of Canterlot away from his family. When he got accepted into the academy he moved out of the broken-down apartment he rented with his meager pay and moved into the barracks. He had hoped to start a new life there but Braeburn already knew how that had went.
White eventually grew quiet and soon was once more asleep. It was Braeburn's turn to weep as he realized the poor stallion snuggled into his chest had nothing in the world, but Braeburn swore from that moment on as long as White needed him he would always be by his side.