//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: The Bill-inning 
// by EmperorDalek 
//------------------------------//

Bill Cipher and Luna meet




Finally, it was over. Celestia’s mind had been returned to its original state, the invader that had attempted to seize control of it had been driven out, and control of the mind had returned to its rightful owner.

*Return to the Present*

Quickly sitting up in her bed, Celestia let out heavy pants as her breathing was still trying to catch up with her after such an experience.
When her breathing became a little more controlled, she narrowed her eyes, and started focusing in on some of the more important information that she had obtained while purging her mind of this horrible nightmare.

‘’Bill Cipher…’’ She said, still remembering the name quite freshly in her head. Gaining a serious face for a moment, she stared off as she thought about this mysterious character that had just and out of nowhere entered into their lives. She did know why, but she had the nagging suspicion from the back of her head that she needed to keep a close eye on him. 
Secondly for security matters, but firstly because he seemed a little…eccentric. They had dealt with an energetic being before, and that had been during the battle for the whole of the Equestrian race. ‘’Why can’t I shake the thought that he is a distant cousin of Discord?’’ She asked, shuddering at the thought of having to deal with somepony like the likes of him again. Not because he was a true danger to Equestria, he really wasn’t. But because he might just annoy her.

Sleeping idly on the floor beside the bed was the gently breathing body of Luna. Her eyes closed, and her horn no longer connecting them to the same dream. A smile upon her face as she wandered the Mindscape.




In the Mindscape, there was a green hilltop overlooking a beautiful plain of green grassy fields. A single tree growing out of the ground at the center of the hill.

Opening her eyes, Luna saw that she was no longer in her sister’s version of the Mindscape – Thankfully – but instead in another that could be said to belong to her. There was afterall no one else there, so it had to be hers, right?

Exhaling a sigh, Luna became more relaxed in her face, feeling the gentle intake of air leave her lungs as she sighed from relief. ‘’Thank Celestia that the nightmare is finally over.’’ She said outload.

‘’Indeed, but hey, every nightmare had to come an end sometime, right?’’ A disembodied voice suddenly interjected itself amidst the silence of this green, nice place.

Her body tensed, and eyes stared out, wide with shock that it was now her turn to be plagued by dreadful things in her dreams.
‘’Heheh, no need to worry about me, Princess. I am not a being of pure evil like the Judge.’’ It replied. ‘’I am friendly, despite that little show I had to put on back in your sister’s part of the Mindscape.’’

With multiple turns of her head, she looked around her surroundings. Hoping that she could see something that looked out of the ordinary enough to pinpoint where the origin of this invisible voice was coming from.

‘’’Well, if you really are such as you claim to be, then reveal yourself to me.’’ She spoke out. However, the only sound to linger on the air, was the blowing of the wind as it passed her by.

‘’Hm.’’ She grumbled, her eyes narrowing and face growing sterner in appearance. ‘So I guess he isn’t going to show.’ She thought. ‘’Such a shame.’’

The hill all of a sudden started to vibrate, shaking as an earthquake came over it. Her former stern look changed to instead wield a deadpanned look of surprise at what was happening.

However, instead of being meet with a rift in the skies above – or the ground – she simply heard a voice speak to her from behind. ‘’Hey, how you doin’?’’ Followed thereafter by the click of a tongue. 
She turned around, and to her great surprise, she saw a triangle leaning against the tree, supporting itself with an arm which touched against the tree. The triangle itself was virtually identical to the one she had received help form in the – More appropriately named Nightmare realm version of their home. It was pointing a finger towards her, and wearing a friendly smirk.

Luna turned her body around, staring back at this…strange creature with confusion, but also great curiosity.
‘’Who…are you? What are you?’’ She asked the triangle.

‘’The name’s Bill Cipher.’’ He replied, reaching up and grabbing his top hat, but instead of moving it, his entire body moved in its place, before being moved back into place, he let go of the hat, and lowered his arm back down. ‘’Self-proclaimed Dream demon.’’ He held up his left hand, almost pointing up into the sky.

Luna’s face frowned, raising a brow, she nervously retracted her hoof back away from him – She had raised it when he had first said his name, but now retracted it after hearing that second bit. 

‘’Dream demon?’’ She asked skeptically. At seeing this, Bill’s arms dropped, hanging down as he leaned forward, his eye closing. Some of the stern in her expression deflated, and she looked back at him with…pity in her eyes. She could sense that she had somehow hurt him.
He let out another deep sigh, tightening his hand into a fist that was shaking, which made it all the more alarming to her. Not just because he might attack her, but that she may have accidentally taken a step too far in wanting to know about someone that she had done something unintentionally.

‘’Look…’’ He said, his eye opening, but looking off to the side, away from her. ‘’I know when I am not wanted, and…’’ The triangle turned away from her, looking the other direction. ‘’If you do not me around, I understand that, I know not to overstep somepony else’s boundaries unless they want it of me.’’ He raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers and leave. 

That was, until he heard a voice calling out to him from behind with a sporadic ‘’No!’’ Stopping him from doing anything else while. He turned around, his eye moving the side until it reached the center of his back, his arms, legs, and bowtie doing the same.

‘’What is it?’’ He asked in a really downer tone of voice. His eye moving back behind him, and staring at her angrily. Okay, that was a little freaky for her to witness.

‘’Look! If you really are going to just interrogate me because I’m different, I-…’’ He sighed. ‘’I understand your reasons for doing so. I mean, a anthromorphized, sentient triangle-shaped creature, who possess the ability to do whatever he likes with reality, would be worth asking a few questions. I get that…’’ He motioned with his arm, which was facing the other way. 

‘’But I am just so sick of people/ponies like that, always considering me a danger to them because I have powers beyond their comprehension…But did any of you ever take the time to actually figure out WHO WAS THAT POWERS BELONGED TO?!’’ His voice raised at the end, sounding down-right demonic. His eye even larger, staring down at her completely white. She had to raise her hooves up to shield them from the bright light, and the intensity of his anger.

When the light lessoned, and the shape could be felt to be backing away from her, she lowered her hooves. Seeing just Bill back to his original appearance – Without the eye on his back. His arms folded, and an angry look on his ‘’face’’.

‘’Do you know what it feels like? This feeling of being alone, judged by others who don’t even know you?’’ He asked. ‘’To be ignored, your feelings, you’re very being…nothing them.’’ He raised a fist up, tightening it to the point of having the ground shake slightly, and the skies to darken.

Lowering her head, Luna thought about what she had just been asked by this…Bill Cipher. She did know what he was going through, to an extent. She too, had feelings that went unnoticed by others. 

She remembered back to that day when she first ever raised the moon with her magic. She had been so proud of herself. Her sister had complimented her about that first time, saying that it was a means of beauty to see her accomplishing such a feat of magical prowess. All on her own too.

*Flashback*

‘’Great job, Luna. That was amazing what you just did!’’ Her older sister’s hoof went down to her shoulder, patting it. 
‘’Thanks, Tia...But then again, I didn’t do it on my own.’’ She said with a turn of her head, looking back up at the warmly smile of Celestia.
‘’No, but you did.’’ 

‘’But I didn’t, did I…?’’ She replied, shaking her head. ’’I may have been the one who used the magic, but it was you who cheered me on. Motivating me to keep going…Even when I was at my breaking point, and about to give you still kept me pushing, never giving up.’’
‘’Oh, Luna.’’
‘’Oh, Tia.’’

Jumping up, she suddenly hugged her sister tightly. Her small hooves grasping tightly at her older sister.
Her ear perked up when she started to hear a slight gagging. Opening her eye, she raised her head up. Looking at her sister’s face.
‘’L-luna…Chocking.’’ Celestia’s voice wheezed out. Lunas eyes grew wide in surprise, and her hooves immediately let go of around her sister’s throat.

She fell down to the ground. When her eyes opened, they looked up into her sister’s heavily breathing face. 
*Squee* She smiled.
‘’Hehe...heh. Sorry.’’ She said nervously.

*End Flashback*

Feeling a tear run down her cheek, she brought a hoof up to her chin, wiping the tears.
‘’Yes…’’ She said softly. Eyes looking down, and a slight smile forming. ‘’I know what it feels like.’’ Her smile faded away as soon as she raised her head, her eyes looking upon Bill in a sad manner. 

She watched as his eye one again did that moving thing where it moved along his body to reach his back, but instead it got to where arm, and looked back at her while he crossed his arms – which were still the right way forward.
‘’What was that?’’ He asked.

‘’I…’’ She sighed, eyes closing. ‘’I understand what you’ve been through.’’ His eye narrowed itself, but the rest of his body seemed to turn around. Finally looking back at her right way this time – Though his arms were still crossed, and his eye was giving her a suspicious stare. ‘’When you asked me if I have felt anything close to how you felt, not being acknowledged as an entity but just as…a thing, obsolete…’’ She lowered her head, her eyes looking down as tears started to begin running down her cheek. ‘’And despite being up high in the sky where they can see it, they never do. 

They never notice the work I put into it…For them, they notice it! They always just sleep through it as if it is not-optional to enjoy the opposite of the light!’’ Her eyes tightened, and her contorted, the expression on her face becoming angrier and angrier…But also sadder. It was obvious that she had been holding these feelings looked up for a long time and never really talked to anyone about it.

The once-suspicion in his eye started to pull back, the hate for her not wanting to trust him over a simple little detail, turning to sympathy as he watched her breaking down right in front of him. He, like her, knew full what she was going through. That burning feeling of being the only one who had a passion about something and wanting others to share that passion. Of course, he knew where this would all lead. Being alone like that, and never truly finding another, would inevitably drive someone to do things that they would never in their wildest dreams thought they would ever do.

Lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly ripped back out of them when he heard her beginning to break down emotionally. Her voice was breaking, and she was struggling to stand upright in a regal way.

She broke down into tears, her body almost collapsing onto the ground. However, Bill moved in, and caught her, grabbing her with his arms, and holding her up. But she almost seemed to deliberately ignore him, crying into him. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her warmly.
‘’Shshh…It’s okay, it’s okay.’’ He calmed her, gently stroking her back up and down with his hand, his voice speaking to her in a soothing calming tone. Letting her continue to cry. 

‘’Just let it out...’’ He began stocking her mane, which albeit was a little weird – Creepy even – but she excused on not exactly knowing how to calm her all that perfectly. ‘’Is obvious to me now that you have suffered greatly, but instead of talking about it with someone, you have kept them all bottled up inside of you, and thus you have never needed to face them.’’ His hand moved away, instead moving up to the back of her head, holding her in a soothing way.

‘’I-it is true, what you speak of…’’ She sobbed. ‘’I have never had a friend whom I could talk to – Sniff – Not even about just basic things, not necessarily the night. Things which interest me, dislikes, etc.’’ She sobbed against him. His eye opened, staring out in front of him with a frown upon. 

‘I understand that – his eye narrows – I am way too familiar with it.’ He thought. Gently, his eye moved down, looking at her.
‘’Hey, hey…’’ He gently moved his hand down along her neck at a slightly faster pace. ‘’It’s okay…It’s okay…You won’t ever have to worry about being alone like that ever again.’’
She sniffled, raising her head, and looking up at his lone eye.

‘’H-how?’’ She asked, wiping the tears with a free hoof. ‘’I have no friends, and while I consider my sister a close enough friend, she cannot have a lengthy conversation with me about the wonders of the night…’’ Her face contorted into a frown, and she laid her head back down against his lower body, looking it to the left. ‘’I will always be alone.’’

His eye shook back and forth. ‘’Not anymore.’’ Her ears picked up, twitching at first. Her eyes narrowed, gaining a confused appearance about them. ‘’Wh-what do you mean w-when you say that?’’ She asked. Slowly, her head raised itself back up, staring up at him, as she backed away from him a little.

‘’If a good friend is what you seek, then I will try best to be one for you.’’ He said, looking his eye off to the side. ‘’Y-you know, if you wouldn’t mind being friends with- ‘’ he was interrupted mid-sentence as he felt himself being suddenly embraced in a powerful hug.

‘’Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!’’ Were the only words he was able to hear as she did not break away from giving him a whole barrage of hugs. He was not able to miss a single one. ‘’A thousand thankyous!’’ Once again she was crying, but not from sadness. But from joy.

Rolling his eye, he moved his arms in, hugging her back.
‘’Y-…you’re welcome.’’ He hesitated slightly.
She tried gently nuzzling her mussel against him, but remembering that he was not a Pony she scratched that idea as soon as she saw the yellow bricks at the lower half of his triangular-shaped form.

After holding his eye closed for a few minutes he opened it again. Starring out in front of him.
‘’Okay, okay, okay,’’ he gently moved her away from him, interrupting the hug. He turned back, seeing that she only gave him a blank stare, coupled along with several blinks of her eyes at being pushed away so sudden. ‘’So, should I start, or do you want to go first?’’ He asked her. 
‘’First at what?’’ She replied, a tone of confusion evident in her tone.

‘’At socializing of course.’’ He held out his arms and legs in the air in excitement.
Lowering her head, she looked down at the ground. Her mind thinking about what she could say.
‘’I-…I don’t know.’’ Her eyes looked up, looking back up at him. ‘’I’ve never talked with anyone outside of my sister, and most of the time it is just about the wellbeing of our government, and not as much just friendly chatter.’’

‘’Pfft!’’ He swatted his arm through the air. ‘’That is no fun at all. Hm,’’ he struck a sitting position whilst hovering in mid-air. A hand going up to his front, presumably where his chin would have been if he had one. 
‘’Oh, I know!’’ He jumped, snapping a finger. 

All of a sudden, the ground shook gave a violent quake, cracking open to create a crevice, out from which burning tentacles emerged. Luna turned, staring at it wide-eyed.

‘’Whoops!’’ He exclaimed, getting rather wide-eyed, himself. ‘’Sorry about that.’’ He snapped his fingers again, to which the crevice resealed itself back up, forcing the flaming tentacles back down into the ground. Afterwards, it looked like it had not been there at all.
She turned back, giving him a raised eyebrow and a stare. 

‘’Eh heheh…’’ He laughed nervously. ‘’I-I’m really sorry about that. But it is just a habit of mine, every time I get a thought or an idea that I like I snap my fingers. It was just something quite simple that I used to do back in the old days, sometimes just because it easy, or, like I stated before, because an idea popped into my head that I liked particularly well,’’ he shrugged, ‘’Or it was just something that I liked doing for the hell of it. Here, watch.’’ Her eyes grew wide again, and she almost jumped down in expectance that when he snapped his fingers that something maybe much worse would happen. 

But when it did happen, her ear twitched a little from suddenly hearing it again, nothing occurred. When opening her eyes, she saw that the Dream world was still the same as when she had closed her eyes a few seconds ago.

‘’There, no biggie.’’ She heard a voice from the side say. She turned back, seeing Bill hovering in front of her. ‘’See? Nothing bad happened.’’ His eye closed, and he swiped his arm to the side. 

Smiling back at her, he tried his best to keep the protective bubble around up as it was still not safe to go out of it. For outside it loomed a giant form of ethereal substance, a long crown upon its heed, as it had long locks of its ethereal hair flowing through the air. Soft lips on a face devoid of whether any eyes or a nose.

‘I’ll deal with her when I leave.’ He thought to himself.
His form suddenly descended down to the floor, planting his feet against the soft grass, and then stretching out like one would when waking up in the morning. Joins snapped, and bones popped.

‘’Ahhhh!’’ He sighed, looking his shut eye up at the skies above. ‘’Reminds me of the fresh air back…home.’’ His eye opened, looking out at the mare in front of him. Seeing him stop mid-sentence like that certainly earned a lot of her attention.

Her horn lit up, and a single POOF later, a bench appeared beside them. Smiling, she motioned towards the couch with her hoof. Taking her up on her offer, he bowed his form, snapping fingers, and then re-appearing seconds later, sitting on the bench. He gave her a warm smile, patting the seat next to him for her to get that he wanted her to join him in enjoying the view. She smiled, lightly shaking her head, and then with her extended wings flew up, seating herself down next to him.

Both of them looked back at each other, smiling warmly back at one another – Of course, Luna could guess what emotion he was displaying cause the only sign to telling her such was his lone eye.

While their eyes were locked, the sun started to move down past the horizon, being replaced by a dark-blue background – Which was the sky – All over the backdrop were these small, but marvelous sparkling forms of light. It was the stars, but the greatest one was yet to arrive on the scene. 

But lo and behold, up from behind the uneven, ragged mountains far away, a shape that was at first glance nothing but one half of a circle. But as it reached higher up into the sky, its light shined much brighter, giving off a beautiful shade of white.

Drawing their eyes away from each other to see, they immediately found their attention stolen away by the world that surrounded them.
Returning her eyes to look upon Bill, she could not refrain from smiling as she how much the night sky seemed to have drawn his attention…Or it could be because he had some problem seeing, you know? He only had one eye.

‘’So, you said that you snap whenever an idea that you like, you think of?’’ She asked him. He turned back at her, meeting her eyes, as he watched her smile back at him in anticipation of whatever answer he was going to give her.

‘’I,’’ he turned his back to her a little. He fumbled with his hands, nervously. Despite thinking that he did not let her see what he was doing, she still allowed him to think so. 
She raised a hoof to his side, gently touching it. His eye returned to being on his back, and stared up at her.

‘’It’s okay, Cipher, you can tell me.’’ She said. His eye looked down, obviously thinking about it.
Looking back up, the eye gave her a stern stare, before moving back along the body till it returned to being back in its original place. He exhaled a deep sigh.

‘’I’d rather not say. It’s too private that I feel ready to share with anyone else…Uh, no offense.’’ He pointed a hand back up at her, seeing only her smile back.

‘’None taken.’’ She said, both hooves going to the sides of the bench as she turned back, eyes looking up at the night sky. 
‘But I promise you, Cipher, secrets do not stay hidden from me for long.’ She chuckled, only earing a single stare from him before he turned back to staring up the night sky.




‘’You really have outdone yourself this time.’’ She heard him speak up beside her. She turned and looked down at him. ‘’I don’t mean to be brash, but you’ve really outdone yourself with a sky like that.’’ He complimented her, raising his arms up. Trying to hide it by turning away, her face blushed.

‘’Oh, stop.’’ She swatted a hoof.

‘’No, I’m serious when I say that your night sky is the most beautiful,’’ her head turned back, staring down at him, ‘’The stars you have created grace a truly magnificent sky…Like diamonds upon a sheet of the nicest blue wrapping,’’ her jaw dropped slightly, hanging open as she had never anyone describe her night like that before. Not even Tia had used words like that to describe it.
‘’Bill…’’ She unintentionally let slip from her mouth.

‘’However, there is one thing missing on this picture.’’ He said, holding up both his hands and making a triangle shape with his fingers. Sudden confusion settled on her, as she turned, looking back up with eyes that scanned the whole of the sky above them.
‘’What? What’s missing?’’

‘’Ah! There we are…Almost forgot…’’ 
He snapped his fingers, causing a diamond to suddenly appear in the sky, almost as big as the Moon. She raised a confusing brow at this action, and turned back to him.
‘’A diamond?’’ She asked. He turned, looking up to meet her gaze.

‘’It’s nothing much really…Just another diamond up there on the sky to shine brightly.’’ Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped to hang open.
Judging from the expression that followed next he seemed confused about something or other.
‘’N-no good?’’ He asked, nervously. ‘’I can take it down if you- ‘’ He stuttered, raising his arms up.

‘’No!’’ She suddenly snapped, holding out a hoof in front of him to stop him. He quickly jumped up to his feet, giving her a worried look.
When she seemed to calm down, her warm smile returned to occupy her face – First one, then followed by many tears.
‘’It’s beautiful.’’ She said, wiping one of the tears. He seemed to beam, evidenced by his eye.
‘’Really?!’’ He hoovered up into the air, holding his hands together eagerly.
‘’Yes,’’ she said, ‘’This, more than anything is more than anypony has ever said or done about my night.’’

‘’I couldn’t agree more.’’ He said. ‘’My favorite time of the day is when it is dark, I mean, I do see sunlight from time to time, and it is something I cannot live out…But if I had to choose, I will always choose the night.’’ Her eyes just couldn’t stop watering, could they? ‘’Also, the sun doesn’t burn my eye if I try to get a better look at it.’’ He shrugged. Saying that got her to let out a small chuckle.
‘’You actually do that?’’ She asked, wearing a cross between a smirk, and a raised brow.

‘’Meh…’’ He shrugged. ‘’I cannot help myself. I’m a sucker for the details about things I find interesting.’’ 
He turned back, putting both arms behind him as he continued to look up at the night sky. 

‘’Yeah…Me too.’’ She said, turning back to stare up at the Moon high up on the sky. A soft smile appeared, followed by a gentle chuckle.

‘’Hey,’’ her head turned, looking down at him, ‘’want to see something I can do?’’ He asked. She shrugged her shoulders, giving off a dumbfounded but excited smile.
‘’Surprise me.’’ 
‘’Okay, just give me a minute.’’ He turned his back to her, crossing his arms.

For some time, he didn’t move, which finally seemed to get to her. She crossed her brows, giving him a confused look.
Meanwhile, up high in the sky, something was happening on the surface of the Moon. A black formation was moving across it.
Suddenly, all of a sudden, a light was switched on, shining down on her whole body. Her eyes grew wide from the sudden appearance of the light, turning her head to the side – Looking out in front of her.

The light was a little bright, but she could see that it was coming from up above. Her eyes looked up, staring at the Moon.
‘What? It’s just the Moon. What’s so special about the- ‘But upon a second glance, she noticed something moving across the surface of her precious Moon. She leaned forward a little on the bench, narrowing her eyes to try and get a better look at what she at first believed to be just a simple trick of the eye, but now seeing as being something a little more…complicated than simple trickery.

Though, she flinched a little as she watched it continue to move across the surface of the Moon, not stopping until it was at the center – At which point the projection of light from it ceased, making it a little easier to look up at it. 
Across the very surface of the Moon was a slit.

Her eyes widened from shock once she realized what it was she was seeing. Her jaw dropped, and with a quick turn of her head, looked to the side of her, down at Bill’s form still sitting on the bench. Her jaw dropped, and eyes grew even wider when she, to her greatest of shocks, witnessed Bill’s beginning to move on its own. 
He put his arms behind his back, and then stood up onto his legs again. But the most jaw-dropping moment of the whole thing had to be when it turned around, revealing to her that the lone great eye in the center was gone. Crossing his arms, it just stood there, facing her in an eerier way than when the eye had been there.
‘’B-but that’s…Impossible!’’ She stuttered, hesitantly believing that which her eyes told her was the real deal.

‘’No trickery here, I’m afraid,’’ at hearing Bill’s voice again, she turned back to look up at the Moon. Still seeing his eye on it. ‘’everything you see is real.’’

‘’H-how? I-I know you were powerful, but this?’’ She stuttered once again.

‘’It was nothing. A simple parlor trick…’’ From the sides, several bricks started to fly towards the Moon, forming themselves around the slit iris. Once connected, there was a spark of lightning, which following after that, Bill was seen to once again be returned to his usual self once more. ‘’But it’s a dream, right? Shouldn’t I already be able to do whatever I want? I mean, hey, isn’t your limit the creativity you can put out in a place like this?’’

Twirling a cane in his hand, he descended down from the sky towards her. But even when he reached her, she was still jaw-dropped by what he had done.

‘’I don’t care how much creativity one has, that somepony can just ‘’leave’’ their body like that is still astonishing…Even in the Dream world.’’ After saying that, she finally closed her mouth, smiling back at him.

‘’Eh, I don’t find it to be that impressive anymore.’’ He swatted his arm, looking his eye off to the side. ‘’When you’re as powerful as me, who can do anything, it tends to get kinda boring after a while,’’ his eye looked down at the ground, ‘’things usually are when you are alone.’’ 
Luna’s excited smile deflated into a sympathetic frown, as she looked back at the triangle. Having an idea pop into her mind, her smile returned to her face. 

She trotted forward, getting a little closer to him. Drawing his eyes attention back to her.
‘’But we’re not alone anymore, are we?’’ She raised a hoof up to his hand, touching her hoof against his fingers. ‘’We have each other.’’ She looked up, meeting his one eyes staring back at her.

He suddenly embraced her, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly. His eye closed, gently holding her in his embrace.
A little taken aback by his sudden hug, her eye looked to the left, falling upon him, smiling warmly. She raised her hooves, wrapping them around her triangular companion’s form. Eyes closing shut, and her warm smile growing ever stronger…
However, her eyes opened a little, as she felt something on her being. Her pupils looked to the side, back at him. Down along her chest fur, something was felt to be running.

‘’Thank you...Princess!’’ A slightly muffled voice said, she blinked her eyes a few couple times, starring back at him with her smile still untouched.

‘’Heh,’’ she gave a gentle chuckle, ‘’just call me Luna.’’ 
‘’I will…I will.’’




Standing there, the two of them did not move an inch away from each other. Their embrace being so strong that not even if her sister were to enter into the dream would she be able to rip them apart. The warmth of the friendship that they both felt being something that both had never really felt as strongly before…Until now.

Slowly, the world around them started to change. The already beautiful backdrop of this dream changing to become a dark-blue one, white shapes of varying sizes appearing in a randomly dispersed manner. Behind them, the Moon appeared, shining brighter than it ever had this whole evening.

Slowly opening their eyes/eye, they meet each other gaze, both smiled as they saw one another again. With a turn, both, looked to their side, their eyes staring up at the Moon before them.

Out of nowhere, the bench appeared, and they both sat down on the bench together, their arms hold around the other as they watched the Moon shine amongst all those stars, which while quite bright on their own, could not hope to come close to shining greater than the Moon.
-
‘’Bill?’’ He heard her speak to him, he turned, looking towards her.
‘’Yeah, Princess?’’ He heard a gentle chuckle from his side.
‘’I never want this moment to end,’’ Luna said, ‘’I just want this moment to go on forever and ever.’’ He gave a scoffing laughter.
‘’Me too…’’ He said, his voice a little down. But there was no hiding it from her. She could tell that something was troubling him.

‘’But?’’ She asked, raising her head up to look at him, he turned, their eyes meeting. But his did not look to chipper, in fact it looked downright sad. She stood up, adjusting her sitting stance on the bench.
‘’What? What is it, Bill?’’ She inquired, worry in her voice, and on her face. He turned, looking up at her, their gaze holding, before he suddenly broke it. Looking down at the bench. 

‘’Bill?’’ She asked – Obviously – a more worry in her tone.
Raising his hand, he gently touched it to her hoof, letting out a sad sigh, before looking up. Their eyes locking once more.
‘’You said you wanted us to be together,’’ he shook his eye from side to side. She knew something was coming, something bad, but she just didn’t want to hear it. 

‘’No.’’ She protested, shaking her head in objection to what he was saying. 
‘’I’m sorry, Luna, but I cannot stay. Here, our ways must part…’’ 

‘’No!’’ She said again, much more of a worried tone being inserted into her word. 
Suddenly, reality around them started to become brighter. A witness was swallowing up the reality around them. Everything faded, the stars, the Moon. Everything was consumed into it.

‘’Noo!’’ She pleaded, grabbing tightly at him, and holding him up against her. Holding him tighter than she had ever done anything. Her eyes clenched. ‘’I won’t let it take you!’’ She sobbed, refusing to let him go.
‘’Luna…’’ 

Her eyes shot open, and she pulled back from a little so their eyes could meet. Her frown meeting his sad eye.
He leaned in, raising a hand, and putting it to her ear.
‘’I will see you again.’’ He whispered into her ear. 

Then, everything went white, the two of them being swallowed up by the whiteness.
Luna’s eyes stirred awake, gently opening themselves one at a time, though being put under some strain as the sunlight shined right into her face. She had to shield herself with her hoof while they adjusted.

‘’Oh thank goodness,’’ a familiar disembodied voice spoke up. Luna turned to her left, seeing a white Alicorn standing beside her. She leaned down, a worried expression upon her face as she looked down at her younger sister. But Luna ignored her. Luna’s face just frowned.
Looking down, she saw, to her great disappointment, that Bill Cipher’s triangular body was not there anymore. He was gone.
Her already sad frown grew rose, becoming sadder as she realized that he had truly been lost. Her sister took notice of her sister’s saddened state.

‘’Luna? What is it? Is something the matter?’’
Exhaling a deep sigh, she shifted her body onto its side. Laying down as her eyes looked out at the wall in front of her.
‘’No,’’ she shook her head in reply at her sister, ‘’he isn’t.’’ She mumbled to herself.
‘’Oh. Well okay then, but hey,’’ Celestia said, her voice changing into a much happier tone, ‘’on the bright side the nightmares are gone. We did it, we liberated my mind.’’

‘’Yeah…’’ She mumbled, her eyes looking down at the floor.
Being no fool, Celestia could tell that something was on her sister’s mind. Something was bothering her.
‘’Uh, are you sure that there is nothing on your mind?’’ She asked again.
‘’No.’’ Luna replied, gently blinking her eyes.

‘’Um, okay then,’’ Celestia’s horn started to glow, a magic aura enveloping Luna, gently removing her up off the floor. Slowly, and with gentle care, Luna’s body was put back down onto the bed, and the covers – held in a telekinetic grasp – moved up over her body. ‘’Well, you’ve certainly earned a good night’s sleep.’’ She smiled. ‘’You were brave in there, facing off against those dreadful nightmares, all just for me.’’ Luna slowly nodded.

‘’Yeahh…’’ She let out.

Leaning down, she planted a gentle kiss on Luna’s cheek, then turned and trotted off. 
‘’Good night, Luna…You sleep tight, and maybe we’ll talk again later?’’
‘’Yeah, sure…’’ 

Celestia not did say anything else after that. She just shot her a smile, and then activated her horn’s magic, teleporting out of the room in a silent POP that Luna did not hear.

With her magic, Luna closed the windo

ws of her room, shrouding the entirety of it in the darkness.

‘’Maybe tonight…we’ll see each other again.’’ She sniffled, feeling her pillow becoming a little wet where her head lay. ‘’Another day, another dream.’’ She sniffled, wiping the tear with her hoof before laying her head back down on the pillow. 
Despite what her sister had said, Luna had already gotten a whole night of sleep, and thus there was currently no need for her mind to rest. She knew that if she wanted to see Bill Cipher again she would have to wait for the night to return. 
And it just couldn’t get here any faster.