//------------------------------//
// Some Apologies are Easy… 
// Story: To Call the Moon My Own 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//



"It's been two days, Twi," Rainbow said comfortingly, sitting beside Twilight as the others huddled around the living room. "He can take care of himself."

"Yeah, but he hasn't even sent a message, and Nyla isn't in the Everfree either!" Twilight panickedly exclaimed, pacing around the room. "What if he ran into Jerosh? The Arthanians? He could be hurt!"

"Ah think his bigger body can help with that," Applejack smiled, placing a hoof on her friend and stopping her. "Tony's got Nyla t' help him. You saw what he did on Nightmare Night. Ah'm sure he'll do the same an' whoop Jerosh into next year."

"Yeah, Twi! Relax!" Pinkie smiled, bouncing across the room and jumping onto the couch. "Besides, I haven't even gotten an itchy hoof, tingly back, stingy stomach combo!"

"What does that mean?" Rarity questioned. 

"It means one of my friends are hurt!" Pinkie announced. Her front legs visibly wobbled, somehow, and Pinkie squeed in delight. "Come on!"

"Where are you going?" Twilight called after the bubbly mare.

"To see Tony! Come on Spike!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing away quickly.

Spike was on lookout in case Tony came back while Twilight was panicking. He ran down the stairs and hopped on Twilight's back as she and the others galloped after Pinkie. They caught up to her as they neared the Acres. Running through the rows of apple trees, Pinkie hopped on joyfully as her friends started wearing out, and Rainbow shifted from running to flying. 

"Pinkie, where are we going?" Rainbow called.

"To the Everfree, of course!" Pinkie chimed, causing the rest to skid to a halt, piling on as they stopped. 

Twilight groaned as she pulled herself out from underneath the pile, and Spike gasped for breath as he got out from under Applejack. "The Everfree Forest?!" He exclaimed.

"Yup!" Pinkie giggled. She bounded towards the field seperating the Acres and the Everfree, and she scanned around before smiling and pointing. "Look look look!"

The others came over and looked to a swirling vortex gaining more color by the second. It stretched to an enormous size, and out popped Nyla. She roared as her body hit the ground, skidding once before sliding out. The vortex got smaller, then spat out Tony, who yelled in surprise as he bounced off the ground and into Nyla. The ponies gasped, and galloped over to see their friend. Tony groaned as he clutched the side of his head, Nyla doing the same but growling as she smelled the ponies. 

"Tony!" Pinkie yelled, hug-tackling him back to the ground as the others did the same. 

"Easy," Tony grunted, sitting up slowly. "How long was I gone?"

"Two days!" Twilight nearly screamed. "Where were you?! I was worried sick!"

"Don't fret, Twilight," Discord's voice laughed. "We were just having some fun with chaos."

The mares turned around to Discord, who was sitting on Nyla's head. She shook him off, and he laughed as he floated over to them. "Discord," Twilight said, suspiscion already rising. "Where did you take him?"

"Did you mess with his head?" Applejack added, snorting as she glared daggers into his eyes. Said eyes dematerialized along with his body as he went over to Tony. 

"I didn't do anything to my newest friend," Discord smirked. "Isn't that right?"

Tony sighed and stood up, clutching his head. "I never said we were friends," he said. "But at least now I know your mindset is."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked. Tony glanced to Nyla, who shrugged in response.

He sat down and explained everything that had transpired. From Discord bringing back his memories, to his panicked reply to Fluttershy's feelings, the fight with Luna, and his memories of Nimani. He had to explain who she was, as a Loki'irian and who she was to him. They were stunned by the fact that Minira deliberately avoided those sequences, as she had believed that it would have been better if he had forgotten. Tony also told them where he went, and what Cadence had told him. And, Discord's favorite part, he retold his little adventure with Discord in his mind, how he had helped him, and how the chaos entity constantly messed around. Pinkie laughed when she heard how Discord trapped Tony in cotton candy and melted chocolate. 

"So that's why Fluttershy's been at home for so long," Twilight murmured. Tony nodded softly, sighing as he remembered the state he had left the meek pegasus in.

"Maybe now is the time to tell her. You did say you're better now," Rarity pointed out. "She's cried herself dry, even after that lovely treatment."

Rainbow rose a brow and nudged the unicorn, having seen her going back to those memories. "How 'bout we see her before you dream again," she said.

"You girls should head home," Tony announced, drawing their attention. 

"But Fluttershy-!" 

"I'm the one who put her in this state, Pinkie." He glanced to Discord, who nodded knowingly. "It'd be better if I talk to her, one-on-one."

"Are you sure?" Twilight questioned. "She could really need us."

"It sounds like it," Spike added, but Tony shook his head.

"I don't want her thinking you guys were a part of this," Tony explained. "I want her to know that my words are my words alone. But… I'm sure you guys can talk after I do."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Pinkie chimed, bouncing over him and pointing her muzzle towards Ponyville. "Let's get going!"

I'll wait in the Everfree.

Good idea. Just be ready for when I get back.

Nyla moved into the twisted forest, and Tony followed the girls and Discord to Fluttershy's cottage. It wasn't long before they reached the cozy home, and Tony gestured for them to wait outside. He used his rites to move the locks and bolts out of place before opening the door. The place was a mess; animal foods of all kinds were scattered around the place, the smell of droppings and pet odors mingling into his nostrils. He navigated past the unsupervised animals, barely trapping Angel Bunny in a cage before he could lash out at him, and went down the hall to Fluttershy's room. The walls looked messy, as if the animals had dragged their food and mud on it. He knocked on the door twice, waiting for any sort of response. He got none, but he could still smell Fluttershy inside. Unwilling to wait, Tony opened the door. 

Her room wasn't like the rest of the house. It was still the same, except for the messy covers that hid the mare he needed to speak with. He slowly walked over to the bed and sat down, hearing the barely-audible squeak that meant she was aware. There was no resistance as he pulled the covers up from her head and removed them completely. Her mane was frizzy and unkempt – almost as bad as his – and her coat was messier than she would have ever allowed. It was obvious that she hadn't been eating much, since her stomach was growling loudly, and she curled up even tighter. Tony placed his hand on her shoulder, then made her sit up gently. Her pink mane still hid her puffy eyes, irritated from the number of tears she had shed the past day. He guided her gaze up to him, brushing her mane back with a soft smile.

"W-What are you doing here?" Fluttershy sniffled.

Tony sighed softly and lowered his head. "I was… I wasn't ready for what you told me," Tony whispered. "I thought we were just really close friends."

He held her hoof, causing a blush to creep up to her cheeks.

"Fluttershy… I can't be with you," he said, putting a finger to her lips before she spoke. "Just let me explain."

He retold his memory of Nimani once more, also telling her that Luna was trying to help him decide and that he had blown up at her after having his memories fully align. He told her he had gone to Cadence, and he repeated what she told him. 

"It's not that I don't like you," Tony smiled softly. "I love you like I loved my brothers, Dan, Nyla, and the girls. You're all my family. But I have no choice but to not love you as a marefriend."

Fluttershy's blush that died down returned, this time in embarrasment. "Oh… I see," she murmured. "I… guess I kinda… should've let you speak."

"It would have been ideal," Tony chuckled. "But I can't blame you… but it's alright if you blame me."

"Oh, I don't-"

Tony's finger stopped her lips from moving. "If I had told Luna about my memories when they started, I could have been level-headed when I told you," he told her. "This time it IS my fault. And now I need to make everything better. You're gonna find a stallion that loves you more than anypony in the world. Never say you're not good enough, because there are lots of stallions that would DIE to be with you."

She blushed harder at this.

"But always be you." Tony brushed her hair back again. "Okay? If you have to change for a stallion, then he's not worth your time. Got it?"

Fluttershy giggled and nodded. "Got it," she smiled. "Are we still… friends?"

Tony laughed and hugged her close, smiling brighter when Fluttershy hugged him back. "Best friends," he chuckled. "Never forget it. Now come on, everypony's waiting."

He helped her outside, where her friends each hugged her with the love she deserved. Discord tidied up the house with a snap of his talon, getting the animals in their cages and the rooms all tidy. Tony wanted to stay, but he still needed to speak with two other ponies. 

Two ponies he needed help from.


                                                                                     



Do you think she will help? After what you've done?

I can only hope. 

Do you think she'll be as forgiving as Cadence?

If she hasn't already told her, I might have to change… so stay in range.

Even with the high winds he could hear her laugh throatily, and they descended on Canterlot. Sticking close to the mountain, Nyla landed on a small slope that led to a well hidden area, covered by tall birch trees that had a group of roses growing beneath it's branches. Her blood-red scales blended nicely with the flowers, allowing her to rest as she waited and still be in range. Tony dismounted and flew to the city, sneaking past any guards in case things had really gotten that bad. He snuck into the castle, over the heads of the Solar guards by flying as high as he could in the enormous hallways, and finally landed in front of the doors to the throne room. 

Here goes nothing.

He shoved open the doors, spotting Celestia speaking to a few nobles. As soon as their eyes were on him, she looked less than pleased to see him. Well… not happy to see him… at all. Her glare lasted as he neared the steps to the throne, and he looked sadly yet knowingly to her. His mind was clear of most thoughts, but he was still waiting anxiously for some sort of attack. His body prepared to release the metals, and it proved useful when Celestia teleported the nobles out of the room and fired a beam at him. He rose a metallic arm, deflecting it with a short burst of energy before her mana surrounded him and pinned him to the floor. Deciding that fighting was only going to worsen things, he kept still as she walked over so that she was standing above his head.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here," Celestia said, her voice even yet showing her anger. It was frightening… it reminded him of how Jerosh spoke. 

Tony sighed softly, forcing the metals to recede. "Can you-"

"I thought you forgave her," Celestia interrupted, her glare hardening and her tone shifting gradually. "She won't even speak to me about it. She's heartbroken… again."

The last word came out with a half-snarl. "I know," Tony said softly. "Can you-"

"Why did you tell her that she was forgiven if it wasn't true?" Celestia said, her voice now getting louder. "The only thing that I could get from her was that you don't trust her. Why. Not?"

Tony waited several minutes so that he could speak, the whole time being glared holes into. "Can I explain?"

Celestia's horn's glow dimmed slightly, leaving him chained to the ground by his wrists and ankles. "Five minutes."

"When I was in high-school I met Loki'irian girl named Nimani. She was a Signa, and we courted since freshman year. At our graduation we did a ritual you would see as marriage, but we would need a true Protiiglo to acknowledge the joining. She… she died when we found an Arthanian base… I tried to save her… but I couldn't."

Celestia's horn stopped chiming, and Tony was allowed movement, but he remained on the spot.

"I… I lost control," he continued. "I attacked a horde and changed into the Iikro… but even then I wasn't strong enough. Jerosh pulled me out of there, wiped my memory, and brought me back to my home. I only remembered because of Discord… and I'm only at peace because of him."

He could see her demeanor shifting, from anger to pity to confusion and everything alike. "Discord helped you?" Celestia questioned.

"He's not really evil," Tony sighed. "Just… chaotic."

He stood up slowly, looking away from Celestia.

"Nimani was everything to me… more than Luna," he admitted. "Everytime I saw Luna, I thought of Nimani… and vice versa."

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

"I should have told her when this all started… Could've avoided all this," Tony chuckled bitterly. "But I just wanted to feel like I was done with all the hate, the trust-no-one rule, and the anger. I wanted to trust her… believe me, I wanted to just think I could hurl myself at any problems with her helping me. But imagine having your heart beaten to the point where you're suspiscious of everyone."

He felt her hoof touch his shoulder, and she felt sorry for what she had done… even more for what she assumed.

"But now I know what to do," Tony smiled, turning to her. "And I need some help if I'm going to make it up to her."

His smile brought a sense of relief to Celestia, letting her know he wasn't mad and he really was at peace. "I'll do anything I can," Celestia nodded.

"Well… do you know Octavia?" 

"She's a part of the Royal Orchestra, yes?" Celestia asked. Tony nodded, his smile growing.

"She had an idea that the nobles downplayed, and I think it could be good for everypony and a way for me to apologize to Luna," Tony said. 

"And what was this idea?" Celestia questioned, his smile spreading to her.

"What if, after the play of course, we hold a concert?" Tony suggested, his smile growing to a signature Pinkie-smile. "Any artists and performers can sing and dance and play music on stage!"

"That sounds wonderful," Celestia giggled. "But Hearth's Warming is just around the corner. We'd need some time before we could set up an event of that size."

"And that's where Octavia comes in," Tony laughed. "I had her start this a couple weeks back, and she's probably almost done. I need to talk with her sister so we can get everything done, but I'm going to need some funds."

Celestia rolled her eyes and laughed softly. "Alright. I'll pay for any expenses," she smiled. "I'll make an announcement within the week, so we won't be short on any performances."

Tony nodded and hugged her. "Thanks," he laughed. "I'll come back when we're ready. Make sure you leave a grand finale for me."

"Is that when you'll apologize?" Celestia smirked, giggling as he rolled his eyes. "Are you going to sing?"

Tony's smile broadened, and he shrugged. "Depends on what I can find," he laughed. "Just make sure you don't tell any of this to Luna. Say I stopped by or whatever… and try to be there for her. I know Luna's strong, and she might see my view of things, but just keep her going while I get everything ready. Deal?"

Celestia shook his hand and nodded. "Deal. Don't take too long, and make sure you have a great performance!" She called after him as he jogged to the door.

He skidded to a halt and came back over. "And before I forget, there was this cave somewhere up north," Tony said. "There was an enchantment to keep it hidden, and it looked like it was being used. I didn't have time to look around, so I thought I'd tell you or Cadence."

Her brows raised, and Tony swore he saw the briefest look of worry pass over her muzzle. "I'll send guards to look into it," she nodded. "Thank you."

Tony smirked, jogging towards the door. "You mean you're welcome!" Tony laughed.

"And good luck!"

He ran out of the castle and sprinted to Nyla, quickly climbing on and flying back to Ponyville.

That went better than I would've expected.

No kidding. Come on, we still need one more pony.

Nyla flapped her wings powerfully and sped along to Ponyville, flying over and touching down in the Everfree. He jumped off and ran into town, remembering the path he had taken from Sugarcube Corner to Octavia's and Vinyl's house. To his surprise, the smell of alcohol was minimal. He climbed the short steps and knocked on her door.

"Coming," Octavia called. She unbolted the door and opened it, smiling as she saw the residential biped. "Oh. Good afternoon, Tony! Did you… send word about the concert?"

Tony nodded, brightening her smile by over ten fold. "Before we start with that, I wanted to speak with Vinyl," he chuckled. "Is she… here…"

He glanced behind the greyish mare and saw that the house wasn't in any bad condition. The large couch closest to the door was clean. The kitchen, which was connected to the living room, was organized as well as tidy. The only alcohol he could smell was coming from a wine bottle atop the fridge. He had expected it to be messy, what with Vinyl suffering from Dan's death.

Octavia shivered slightly and adjusted the scarf around her neck. "Would you like to come inside and wait?" She asked. Tony entered and sat down on the couch. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "So… what's Vinyl been doing recently?"

Octavia reached for a teacup from a tray sitting on the table. "She's been unpredictable, lately," she sighed. "She's trying so hard to get over Dan, and she's doing very well after what you told her. There was a foreclosure letter in the mail about her club, and that was what really prompted her to collect herself."

"Is she there now?" Tony questioned.

"It would be safe to say she is," Octavia smiled. "She was here for hours the other day asking me to help her with an apology. I told her that she had to apologize herself; no pony could word what needed to be said better than her."

Tony nodded softly, looking off to the side as his grin faded. "That's why I'm here," he said as he exhaled deeply.

"What's wrong?" Octavia asked, taking notice of his fallen mood. 

Tony explained his situation once again, a little hesitant because of the fact that he wasn't as close with her as he was with the girls. He soon realized that he wasn't trusting, and so he told her everything, just like he did with Celestia and his closest friends. She was surprised to hear so much, especially when he explained his kind and their purpose. Of course she felt sorry for everything that had happened to him, but she could see why he felt he didn't deserve her sympathy for what he did to Luna. The fact that he was courting her also drew the most of her attention. After a good twenty minutes, she was fully updated on his love problem. But there was still one thing she didn't understand.

"How could we help?" Octavia questioned. 

Tony lowered his head and thought. " 'Sorry' isn't going to cut it this time," he said softly. "If I'm going to make it up… I'm gonna need you and Vinyl to help me. I want to make this the best Hearth's Warming for Luna ever. And I want to show her how sorry I am."

Octavia's lips formed an "o" shape as she put the pieces together. "You're going to perform!" Octavia exclaimed. "Have you ever sung before?"

"With my old caretaker," Tony chuckled. "I'm adequate, I guess. But I want to sing a song she hasn't heard. One from where I used to live. The problem is, most of these need audio-modifiers and tuning so that it's spot-on. There are still instruments, which is why I need you, and Vinyl can use her turntable to fix what can't be done by us."

Octavia furrowed a brow in thought and lowered her empty cup of tea. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I wanted both of you here so that I could go over some songs with you guys," Tony began, quieting down when the door opened again.

"Tavi I'm…" She stared at Tony past the magenta shades, her gaze going to her sister but being hidden by her glasses. "Hey… Tony."

Tony smiled and waved; Vinyl removed her scarf and hat and tossed it to the side. "Vinyl, Tony has good news," Octavia beamed. "Princess Celestia agreed to fund the music concert on Hearth's Warming."

Vinyl's shades fell to her snout along with her jaw. "She did?" Vinyl asked, shocked in a good way. "That's… that's great, Tavi. Thanks, Tony."

"Don't mention it," he nodded. "So how's Remix?"

Vinyl rubbed her foreleg nervously. "It's… better than a couple weeks ago," she shrugged. "Listen… thanks. For what you did… said, I mean."

He went over and hugged her, surprising the DJ. "Anything for a friend," he laughed. "I'm glad you're getting better. But right now, I really need your help."

They brought her up to speed on the situation, and Vinyl sat on the couch in thought. "I bet I could get it right," she laughed. "Depends on what you want to hear though."

Tony took out his iPod and opened the music app. "Let's try… this one."

He went through a number of songs, from '90s songs to the early 2000s, then up to 2010, a few songs that went to 2018, most of which he had missed out on. There were many that didn't fall into the same category, as they all learned through crude or just plain dumb lyrics. Still, there were nice ones and really good ones… but they were missing something. Vinyl and Octavia had a small list of suggestions from the ones they had played, and he could listen to each of them again and again, but they weren't what he was looking for. 

"There's still a couple dozen we could see," Tony sighed. He closed his eyes and listened as the speakers played song after song. 

To save time, they only listened to the first thirty seconds of each, and if they liked it the first minute would be played. They made a list of the ones they liked more over those that they stopped after the first time limit. The list slowly grew, and Tony was growing impatient. The mares were too, but they both endured the hour for him. 

Vinyl was still a bit more excited about the songs she was seeing, mostly the dubstep, techno, trance, rave, and some other categories she was seeing. Drumstep in particular was interesting her. Octavia was sitting on the couch while Tony layed on his back and his arms behind his head, both of them having closed their eyes. She went to play the next song that sounded good, and her hoof accidentally scrolled down the list. She tried stopping it and managed to play a song and lock it at the same time. 

"Uh, Tony I-"

"Shh."

He sat up quickly, listening to every word and smiling brighter and brighter as the instruments and song went soundly together. He had forgotten all about this song. It was a favorite as his when he would relax. But not once did he think he would ever sing this to someone… somepony special. He turned to Vinyl, then to Octavia, who were both just as interested in the song. 

"This is it, no doubt about it," Tony laughed. "Vinyl, some of the tunes are prerecorded and added on, and we'll need audio-modifiers if we're going to copy the piano."

"I got a buddy that sells pianos and electric ones," Vinyl smiled. "Tavi, still remember how to do it?"

"Every key and every composition I've ever played," Octavia nodded, smiling just a brightly. "Maybe adding more volume to it would help."

"So it's settled," Tony laughed. "Alright, we need to get everything set up for Hearth's Warming."

Vinyl gasped and looked at the calender. "But it's only two away!" She exclaimed. "We'll never-"

"Vinyl," Octavia interrupted, holding up a number of pages, which made Tony wonder where she had kept those. "I just need help from my sister to spread the word."

She hugged her sister tightly, and they all laughed. "Thanks, sis," Vinyl chuckled. "I know! This week I can hand out flyers at Remix, tell everypony to go, and I got some old buddies that would make this the best!"

"I also know some very good musicianists that could partake," Octavia added. "Perhaps the Orchestra would like to go as well."

"I'll get Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash to hand out some flyers in Ponyville, too," Tony said. 

"And send some to me. I can get a guy in Manehatten and the Crystal Empire to hand 'em out," Vinyl smirked, putting her shades back on.

Tony nodded, picturing Canterlot already. "So Friday we'll all head over to Canterlot and lay everything out to Celestia," Tony said. "Everypony'll already have decorations, so all we need to do is get all the performers and decorations in the theater!"

"But will all those ponies fit in the Canterlot Theater?" Octavia questioned. "Equestria AND the Crystal Empire are attending, after all."

That setback was quickly rectified by Vinyl. "What about the movie theater?" She questioned quickly. "They're right next to each other! We could combine them and make 'em taller and we'll have the biggest building in Canterlot!"

"But that's thousands of ponies," Octavia reminded her. "Will it work?"

Putting a fist to his chin, Tony thought harder and harder until the solution became clear. "What if there wasn't a roof or any walls?" Tony questioned, his idea becoming clearer by the second. "Just thousands of seats in an open stage performance outside!"

"It's gonna be freezing!" Vinyl argued. "And it always snows on Hearth's Warming."

"Then a mass heating spell!" Octavia exclaimed, having caught on with excitement. She had a very subtle blush, and a nervous grin. "A heating spell all over the area to keep the ponies warm, BUT still allow the snow to fall."

"And what about the melted snow?" Tony questioned. 

"Small drains," Octavia suggested. Tony and Vinyl mulled it over, seeing no other errors for their idea.

"This is gonna be the best Hearth's Warming in Equestrian history!" Vinyl announced.