I'm sorry...
"Hello?... Is anypony here?" Luna asked loudly.
The Princess of The Night walked slowly through a deteriorated hallway of what used to be the great and spectacular "Castle of the Two Sisters". Strolling through this place brought back so many fuzzy memories, which she could still enjoy or hate; laments and joys, sorrows and laughter. Many events occurred in this abandoned castle, causing severe deep thoughts coming on the Princess' mind; she had not stepped foot in this place for years, she missed it, but at the same time she wanted to forget it in time and act as if this place, her old home, had never existed.
She looked at the broken murals, the cracked windows, and the dusty hallways littered with multiple debris; this represented a monument, reminding all who came here that there were once 2 Princesses, almost inseparable sisters, who ruled for almost more than a century together... until... Nightmare Moon arrived...
"AH!" Luna cried out in pain, now lying on the ground, trying to recover from the severe headache that had invaded her.
Those were the kinds of memories she wanted to forget forever, everything related to Nightmare Moon was non-existent for her; however, it was impossible for her not to unconsciously keep some of those stormy memories of the distant past that, to Luna, seemed to have been as recent as if they had happened yesterday.
The blue alicorn opened her eyes slowly as he tried to adjust her sight to the darkness of the place, only being illuminated by the imposing moonlight at night; it didn't take long for her to do it and when she did, she saw him. She saw who was responsible for her being there. Her friend and, considered for her, brother of life, the co-ruler of an entire nation and Prince, Alfred...
"Alfred..." Luna said, slowly approaching the human, who was standing, admiring the moon from behind a smashed window.
"Alfred, what are you doing here?" Luna asked, bewildered by everything that had just happened.
The alicorn stopped and peered closely at his friend's face, then became aware of the patch on his right eye and his completely ripped ear, making it impossible for him to see and hear from that side. She already remembered why Alfred had not spoken to her in these last days and weeks, why he had moved away from her and Celestia... he wanted to be alone. And this thought was reinforced by the sad and guilty look that his friend possessed, his sight was lost in the magic and beauty of the night that accompanied the moon.
Finally, he gave a deep sigh and lowered his gaze to the floor, seeing the broken parts of the window in front of him that were lying everywhere; Luna also looked at them and saw an image that she never remembered seeing in her life, it was her in a white wedding dress and a figure next to her, hugging her, but the part where the face of that individual should be was missing. Then, the Princess of Night raised her eyes and looked at Alfred, still looking at those pieces with nostalgia and deep sadness...
"Alfred!" Luna called, having finally raised her voice, an act that managed to attract the attention of Alfred, who turned to see at the direction where Luna was; the alicorn, realizing this, gave a sigh of relief and a slight smile, although it was immediately replaced by an expression of concern...
"Alfred... what's going on?" The alicorn asked in a voice full of concern.
"I... wanted to talk to you." The human replied as he turned to look at the moon, observing it for a few moments before muttering a phrase; then, he turned his attention to the alicorn...
"How do you feel?" Luna asked again, sounding the same or even more worried than before, since she was able to perceive the scar that ran all over the left cheek of Alfred's face and ended in his mouth...
"That's... not important." Alfred sighed as he covered his scar with his hand, Luna was puzzled by this and immediately replied...
"Of course it is important, Alfred! We are talking about your state of health!" The Princess exclaimed as she trotted over to him and stood beside him, watching his deteriorated face.
Alfred didn't reply, and Luna didn't add another word to what she had to say. They both understood the emotions that the other possessed, while Alfred suffered great guilt and sadness, Luna had within her concern and immense sadness towards what had happened to her great friend.
Neither of them said anything for a long time, instead, both shared a moment of silence and reflection when looking at the night and starry sky; this moment was like one of the many who shared after long talks and/or discussions between the two of them. And, in each and every one of them, they both said goodbye and took separate ways. However, this time this wasn't going to happen and Luna had gained interest in knowing what Alfred had to say, so she slowly turned her head until she met the right side of Alfred's face and spoke...
"Alfred, you are like a brother to me... I care about you and you care about me; you have helped me and I have helped you. And I think it's my turn to help you again, so… now I'm here, listening to you." Luna expressed as she rested her hoof on Alfred's right shoulder, who turned to look her directly in the eyes.
The Prince sighed, closed his eyes, was silent for a few seconds, then opened his eyes again, and spoke...
"Tell me, what do you remember of the past?" Alfred asked.
Luna was surprised, honestly, she expected any other kind of questions, but decided to stick to her decision, although she did not know exactly what Alfred was talking about, so she asked confused...
"The past?"
"From... before you became Nightmare Moon," Alfred explained. "I know you don't like remembering those moments of envy towards your sister and that the memory of Nightmare Moon has been gnawing at your soul for almost a decade, but... I need to know."
Luna saw his friend's need to know about her memories, even if he already knew what had happened thanks to what Celestia had told him, he seemed to want to know Luna's perspective; therefore, she took a deep breath, looked at the ground for a moment, then looked up at Alfred and said...
"I remember... when my sister and I carried out our missions to maintain peace and harmony between the different species. I remember how Celestia and I became immortal beings and took the throne, in addition to the various adventures that we lived together during the little more than a hundred years that we reigned together… And, also, Nightmare Moon…" The last words were spoken with a somewhat broken voice as if that still haunted her nowadays; the problem with that was that she still did, she still suffered and deeply regretted becoming Nightmare Moon and trying to dominate Equestria with Eternal Night.
A couple of tears escaped her eyes, which quickly wiped away, then she looked at Alfred and he commented...
"I see... A-Anything else?" That question had confused Luna since she had noticed cracking in his tone of voice; the alicorn stared at Alfred, who returned the same expectant gaze she had toward him.
It was then that Luna gave up and continued talking...
"Honestly, that's all I remember, roughly speaking," Luna admitted. "But… there is something that I feel is missing in those old memories that I have. I don't know how to describe it, but… it feels like something or someone is missing from those memories."
Alfred understood what she was referring to, he hoped she might have some clue to know the truth; unfortunately, it seemed that it was still his job to tell her. The human looked at Luna for several seconds until he gathered enough courage to speak...
"There is a truth that has not been told to you yet," Alfred commented, getting Luna's attention that he needed in order to continue…
"Do you remember the night Twilight and her friends... brought you back to normal and freed you from Nightmare Moon?" Luna did not need a second to think about the answer, she nodded, although slowly...
"I was with them that night. Here in the castle… I accompanied them throughout the trip with one goal… to recover you." Finally said the Prince, who took a second to sigh again and speak...
"I'm sure you remember how I acted seeing you in your alicorn form, in your normal form..." He looked her in the eyes and continued. "...I ran without thinking and hugged you as tight as I could, I shed tears of joy and happiness knowing that, finally... I had you, again." Alfred shed a tear remembering that, but did not stop there, he kept talking...
"But, when you woke up, saw me and reacted in such a way, exclaiming what I was doing hugging you… it was there that I understood the terrible truth. You had forgotten me, Nightmare Moon had made you forget about me… As a partner, as a friend… and as a husband." He narrated as another tear ran down his cheek, then he looked at Luna sadly and said...
"The exact thousand years I waited patiently for you to come back and give me one of those loving and big hugs you usually gave… it hadn't been worth it- *Sniff* …Why? ...Because all the pain, suffering, and the countless sorrows I went throughout my long life had been for nothing... They were for a lost cause. However, there was something within me that rejected a 'no' for an answer… and that is why I stayed, despite everything… *Sniff* ...I stayed in Canterlot, giving you moral support when you needed it and any advice if you required it. But, I no longer did it for your love; I did it so that I could give you a good life with someone who was worthy of being with you... *Sniff* ...The love we once shared is gone forever, and although I love you immensely, I'm more than sure you don't feel the same way about me- *Sniff* ...Believe me when I tell you that I never wanted to lie to you or hide the truth about this, but... your sister and I had no other choice- *Sniff* ...And, now that you and Celestia are leaving the position of co-rulers, now... I have the duty to instruct Twilight and give her the same support that I once gave you... *Sigh* ...I'm sorry you had to find out about it this way, it's just that- *Sniff* ...I couldn't lie to you anymore and tonight, being a very special one, you deserved to know the truth."
Luna did not say or do anything, just stared at the one who had been, until recently, her friend, but who now knew perfectly what he really was... her husband; maybe she and he didn't love each other like before, but she had a thought permeated her mind, so she slowly approached Alfred until she fully embraced him, shedding several tears in the process...
"Thank you." She whispered in tears. "Thanks for telling me the truth." Then, both separated from the hug and looked into each other's eyes; however, Alfred stopped her and prevented her from approaching to kiss him...
"I know what you are thinking and I will stop you right there," Alfred commented, still with a sad look on his face...
"I am already in my last years and I doubt that you want to spend time with me after everything I have told you. Wanting to kiss me is surely an instinctive urge." Alfred said with great pain, who moved away from Luna, but Luna brought him closer to her with her magic and ended up kissing him.
It didn't last long, but it was long enough for her to feel it, the love flowed through her soul and throughout her body; she finally understood everything that was happening and was capable of feeling shocked, but at the same time flattered by all the acts that had been carried out by who had been, for more than a thousand years, her husband.
And, thanks to this, at last, she could feel how all her fears, worries, and terrible memories faded away and were replaced by better ones; such as ones with her sister, with her friend Twilight, her niece Cadance and with... Alfred...
"I doubt that is the case, my dear Alfred."
The End.