Brighter Side of The Moon

>What was that saying before?
>Every second counts?
>Well, with time ticking down- don’t you have a lot to think about.
>Five…
>The final countdown.
>Four…
>All these years…
>Three…
>All the training…
>Two…
>Comes to this.
>One…

>Fast forward to three days after.
>You are Anonymous.
>Captain of the Space Shuttle, ‘Discovery’.
>One out of four crew members.
>Betty, Rodney and Andrew.
>Lovely bastards, up here for experiments.
>Betty, the biologist- tested effects of vacuum on animals.
>Everyone was half-surprised to not see the critter not go boom.
>Yes, you won’t explode out there.
>After a few days of eating toothpaste and dry bars, you’re ready to go home.
>Maybe you’ll grab a nice cheeseburger.
>You turn away from the cockpit, and press a small button next to you.
>”Yeah?” A voice rings out from the other side.
“How’s it in the space lab?” You ask.
>”Sick of it already, Anon.” another voice chimes in.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, we’re setting up in ten minutes, get your ass back in here by then, alright?”
>”Copy that.”
>You leave your chair and hover to the back wall of the flight deck.
>Through a tiny window, you spot a white arm of the shuttle, and the box placed on its end.
>You nod and tug on your buttocks, these MAGs were itchy.
>Also known as ‘adult-diapers’, you always kept in on in case of a need for EVA.
>You pull down your orange suit, revealing a tight, white suit underneath.
>Despite the insistence of others, you thought to keep the inner suit on.
>As far as you knew, anything could happen out here.
>And in space, no one can hear you scream.
>Yes, you were waiting to use that line.
>You see the white arm moving on the corner of your eye.
>About time the three got back in.
>You absent-mindedly grab a dry bar.
>Not very palatable, but it was the only thing you had.
>You munch on it, thinking about the past few days.
>Pretty fucking boring.
>As the pilot, you only had to bring the ship out and in.
>Leave the workings to the scientists, you were an astronaut.
>The job is not as hyped up as it’s supposed to be.
>And to think-
>Your ramblings are cut short as the shuttle suddenly lurched backwards.
>You knew it was backwards, since you were flung from your seat to the ceiling above.
>You rub the dull ache on your head, and look out the window.
>And to be frank, you cannot believe what you are seeing.
>A massive swirling vortex, in a deep hue of navy blue- opened up through the mid-section of the shuttle.
>It was semi-transparent; you could see the stars behind it.
>It slowly engulfed the ship, and the white arm moving towards it.
>Shit, Betty and the rest.
>You rushed to the button and pressed it, only to hear screams and calls for help.
>A panicked voice tried to revert the arm and-
>Silence.
>Nothing.
“Guys?” You call to the speaker.
“G-guys?” Your voice reduces to a whisper.
>Nothing answers but the static.
>You stare blankly at the black holes on the wall.
>You then silently let go of the button, and move to the window.
>You push your body forward, shooting to the small glassed opening.
>Suddenly, a wave of force knocks you back, violently throwing you back to the cockpit.
>You shout out in pain, as you slowly roll down to the floor.
>The dry bar you left gently fluttered to the floor, sending out small chunks in every direction.
>Wait a second.
>It fell.
>To the floor.
>So did you.
>Gravity.
>And as that thought leaves your mind, you are jerked upwards again, by a force underneath.
>You land back soon enough.
>Sound of metal clattering and brushing fills you ears.
>You begin to shake, not by the cold, but by the impact.
>After a while it stops.
>And silence again.
>You quickly leap to your feet and look out of the cockpit window.
>You see grey surface.
>You crashed.

>You pull on your Snoopy cap.
>God this cannot happen.
>This cannot-
>You landed.
>Correction, you crash landed.
>You shake your head and move to the back window.
>You see nothing but the vastness of space.
>You see nothing.
>Not even the-
>WHERE’S THE BACK PART?
>THE OTHER HALF?

“Shitshitshitshitshit-“ You mumble silently, as you put on the HUT, the chest piece of the EMU- the space suit.
>You are multitasking, even as you breathe in the pure oxygen; you are zipping up your suit.
>Metaphorically of course.
>A zipper will depressurize your suit in a matter of seconds.
>After what it feels like an agonizing fifteen minutes, you are set to go.
>Fuck the sickness, you’re going out.
>You put on the reflective helmet, and step into this tiny white room.
>At a press of a button, the door behind you shut close.
>You hear the hiss of air escaping, and another door in front of you opened slowly.
>You resist the force slowly pulling you out.
>No wonder they call it the vacuum cleaner.
>You step out, and walk on the clear, white flooring of the mid-section.
>You noticed how it stuck up, facing the sky.
>You step out slowly, approaching the end of the mid-section.
>And then, you see the surface.
>Dark grey ground, littered with craters.
>And then the realization hits you.
>You are on the moon.
>You look up to the white arm, at least what was left of it.
>You see the base and the newly shortened limb.
>It was a clean cut.
>Whatever that vortex did…
>You try to find the other half of that arm, let alone the shuttle.
>And the three of your crew.
>And here you were, alone and stranded.
>And just to make it so, it is on the day of your return.
>You jump out of the edge of the open mid-section, hitting the ground with your feet.
>Moon dust flew around, as you slowly made a trail around the ship.
>You are right; it was a clean cut right through the middle of the ship.
>Whatever, or whoever did this, had good aim.
>The wings are gone, and obviously the thrusters behind it.
>The generators are luckily still on your side.
>You give the revealed machinery a few pokes to make sure it is still working.
>One generator’s out, but the rest are still working.
>Fuel cells are a-go.
>The surface of the ship looks mostly intact, safe for a few scratches here and there.
>The crash leveled the ship a little, shaping it to a flat surface.
>You can only wonder what force in nature could’ve done this.

>She blew the dust off her mouth.
>She shook it off her short, mane, revealing its blue shading.
>Her Nightmare left long ago, maybe she got bored.
>Her whispers stopped, and so did the strength she gave her.
>Her tears stopped long ago, along with anything else.
>But today-
>Today will be different.
>Or was it tomorrow?
>Or yesterday?
>Time passed differently up here.
>She fixed the jet black tiara on her head, right behind her long horn.
>The breastplate could use some shine, the white symbol is getting darker by day.
>Don’t even get her started on her shoes.
>Ignoring that, she walked up to a crater.
>Her wings shook and flared open, scattering the shining dust everywhere.
>She perched on the edge of the crater, and looked below, to the world she was cast out of.

>All because she wanted to be seen.
>All because of-
>She stopped herself- and the tears that pooled around her eyes.
>No, this was not the time.
>Today, she will bring a friend.
>She focused what magic she had within her body.
>Her body shook after spending so much time unmoving, and the strain of casting the spell worsened it.
>She should be able to do it-
>She used to raise the moon.
>After a while, she finally opened a portal.
>Coming from somewhere, someplace.
>She didn’t care.
>She felt a single life, and she pulled it in.
>And in an instant, a giant white object appeared from the darkness.
>The vortex dissipated, and she soon found herself running from the object that was coming at her.
>Focusing her magic once again, she quickly teleported away.
>She only appeared few meters away, barely avoiding the… thing.
>Heh, magic’s slightly off today.
>She quickly rose to her hooves, and looked at the thing curiously.
>She poked it once.
>It was so exciting right now.
>But she simply sat there, waiting for the object to respond.
>”Hello!” She called out excitedly.
>”I’m Luna!”
>She excitedly held out a hoof.
>The broken nose of the shuttle did little to make acquaintance.
>She then heard a simple thump on the far end of the new friend.
>Luna paid no attention, she wanted to say hello to the shy creature.

>You trail the smooth surface of the shuttle with a hand, feeling the full damage the ship took.
>The white color changed to black- you’re getting near to the nose.
>As you look up the cockpit window, your legs hit something hard.
>You almost trip, shaking your arms to regain your balance.
>>You look down to the object.
>And you just freeze.
>You stare down the creature, about waist-high in its seat.
>It blinks once, and stares back.
>It’s…
>A winged horse?
>With… a horn?
>Your eyes slowly trail from its emerald eyes, and then down to it slender neck.
>You spot a breastplate, with a white crescent moon symbol.
>Wait a minute…
>You look up again, to spot the jet black crown resting right behind the horn, right on the light aqua blue mane.
>Should you call it mane?
>You think it’s a horse.
>It just seems so…
>Human.
>You also think it’s female, judging by the feminine outline of its body.
>You’re not even sure why you decided that it was female.
>Anyway, for the moment, you’ll decide that it is a female, mutant horse.
>In space.
>Maybe you discovered some sort of a new species or-
>Decompression sickness.
>That must be it.
>You then notice it’s ‘talking’.
>The expression on its face has brightened up, and it looks human.
>Too human.

>”Hello! What’s your name?”
>Luna kept on shouting at the strange creature, with the round, big head.
>It had a reflective, gold face- from which Luna saw herself.
>The color reminded of a certain somepony…

>It was dark.
>SHE liked it dark.
>SHE was in full control now, wrecking havoc with her magic.
>She couldn’t stop HER, the one they called Night-Mare Moon.
>And then, when her body tired of using so much magic, she felt a sense of relief washing over her body.
>Nightmare let her guard down.
>And after what felt like seconds, a second wave of emotion washed over her.
>Worry.
>Fear.
>Luna saw through her eyes, the golden gleam of her sister’s breastplate.
>And she also saw the gems swirling around the golden armor.
>Luna knew what she saw.
>And as Nightmare tried to teleport away, Luna lashed out the final time.
>She held the demon down, as it desperately tried to flee.
>Fear grew to anger and frenzy.
>And for that moment, Luna felt peace.
>She finally done something right.
>As the energy of harmony washed over her, Luna could not but help to smile.
>Something good for once…

>Luna snapped back to the current moment.
>”Hello!” She called out again.
>But the creature was gone.
>But he was still here on the moon, Luna knew it.
>It was trapped here with her.
>She saw the footprints on the dusty floor.
>For the record, she drew her face on the moon several times by now.
>Lune turned to the hulking object she conversed earlier.
>”What was your name again?”

“NOPENOPENOPENOPE-“
>You slam the airlock.
>You activate the button again, and the hissing goes through.
>It must be because of sudden exposure to pure oxygen, you just knew it.
>Must be some strange side-effect, you were sure.
>You quickly take off the suit, dropping the individual pieces on the floor.
>You sigh loudly and plop down on your pilot seat.
>You randomly press the buttons, hoping for any kind of reaction.
>Nothing.
>From the valves, you can see about a day worth of oxygen left.
>Can’t say the same for the food.
>You pick up the dry bar and begin to chew again.
>Any moment now.
>Aaaaany moment now.
>And-
>Nothing.
>You’re fine.
>No headaches, no limb pain.
>You grab the oxygen mask again.
>No fucking way.

>After the full thirty minutes (and an extra minute for safe-keeping), you are ready to don your suit again.
>Pre-breathing was boring as hell.
>You sat there for a full hour and a half, playing with a ball Andrew brought in.
>Betty, Rodney, Andrew…
>A small optimistic side of you wishes they are alright, alive.
>But that’s impossible.
>They weren’t even in their suits, it’s right there in the-
>Wait, the suits!
>You walk over to a white wall cabinet and open it.
>Three white suits greet you, all EMU.
>Perfect.
>You pull out a Snoopy cap, something akin to a pilot’s leather cap.
>It had the microphones to talk-
>No, wait.
>You’re actually planning to talk to it?
>Well, what choice did you have?
>If it is some sentient life form, (which you highly doubt) it could help you.
>Never know until you fall, right?
>Your eye catches the nametags on the suits.
>Even if you never knew them personally and kept the distance to a few jokes and chats- you can’t help but to feel for them.
>They were still your crew.
“Thanks, guys.” You pat the shoulder of a suit.
>You raise the cap as if to prove your point, and grab your helmet.
>You enter the airlock.

>Luna began to prod the metallic object, namely banging rocks on its surface.
>After staying so long around rocks, metal felt so… interesting.
>She heard a thud on the back of the object.
>”Awwww, did you fart again?” Luna let out a giggle.
>She never felt so alive before.
>She had a friend.
>After some pleasantries, Luna felt a tap on her back.
>It was the white creature again!
>Luna used its face to adjust and fix her mane.
>There, perfect.
>And the creature handed her a beige cap.
>It had strange devices and markings on it, was it some sort of a magical device?
>The creature had digits, maybe he’s a minotaur!
>That is great news!
>He can help Luna lift rocks across the surface!
>Then, Luna can make more faces!
>The minotaur starts making gestures on his round head, putting up his two hands above his head and lowers it- and repeats it.
>Luna stares at him for a second, and then to the cap she was holding.
>”Put it on?” She asked.
>The minotaur paused for a second, and then nodded.
>Luna lifted it with her magic, and plopped it over her head.
>It tipped the tiara off her head.
>”Now what?” Luna asked, having fun in this game.
>The creature raised a finger to a box on his chest, and pressed a button.
>Luna suddenly heard static, and she heard a voice.
“Now we can talk.”
>Huh, he had a much softer voice to what she expected.
>The white creature turned his back on the sun, and got to his knees.
>”What are you doing?” Luna asked through the cap.
>That’s no minotaur.

“Hi.” You say, waving at the pony.
>Her upwards-pointing ears are folded down, thanks to the cap.
>The thing blinked once, before a grin etched on her face.
>When was it a ‘her’?
>When you heard that voice, Anon.
>”Hello!” She shouted again, lending out a hoof to you.
>You smile and take it with your hand, and give a firm shake.
>Oh god, you always knew you’ll go mad in space.
>”I’m Luna!”
“I’m Anonymous, nice to meet you, Luna.”
>”What are you, anyway?” Luna giddily skips across the landscape, not being affected by the harsh conditions.
“I’m a human…” You trail off, enraptured by Luna’s ability to move swiftly along the barren landscape.
“And you are?”
>”Luna.”
“What’s a Luna?”
>”Just Luna.”
>She flutters to a tall rock and strikes a pose.
>You decide not to argue with the creature about that, and move on.
“So, can you help me out?”
>”Hmm?” She pulls on the cap a little, maybe it’s bothering her.
>You point at your sad excuse of a ship.
“Could you help me with that?”
>”Help?” She jumps down to your front.
>She makes her way to the crashed ship, and begins to poke around.
>You slide your visor back down, and follow her.
>You stand and cup your hands on your hips, watching the poor machine in its state.
“Eeyup, what a majestic standstill.”
>You hear fits of laughter coming from the comm.
“What’s so funny?”
>Luna suddenly zips to your face.
>”Hehe, you’re funny.”
“Ooooka-“
>”YOU’RE FUNNY.”
>You raise your hands in fear, and slowly back away.
>Well, it is very assuring to know you only companion is a loose screw.
“Riiight.” You shake your head and walk away.
“Anyway, could you help me out with this?” You point at the wreck.
>”How?”
>You don’t like the giddy look on her face.
“Don’t you have tools or some sort?”
>Two rocks begin to glow in an eerie blue aura, and it levitates to Luna’s face.
>”Like this? A large rock, oooooor this smallish medium rock!”
>You’d make a sarcastic remark, but one thing grabs your attention.
>How the hell is she holding the rocks up?
>Actually, why don’t you ask?
“Excuse me, but how are you levitating the two rocks? Or is it a natural phenomenon?”
>Luna stares curiously at you, as if you asked her if she ate today.
>Something obvious.
>”Yep! It’s all on me! It’s magic!”
>This is plain ridiculous.
“Magic. Uh-huh.”
>”Eeyup!”
“How?”
>Luna throws you a confused look.
“What do you mean how? All unicorns can do it.”
>Unicorns, noted.
“Unicorns?” You ask, slightly dumbfounded.
>”Back in Equestria, like always.”
>Luna points behind her, to Earth.
>The sun slowly reached through the dark planet, revealing you the green-blue planet you knew so much.
>But the continents are all wrong…
>And then, another realization hits you.
>The sun was revolving the planet.
>And it moved as if under some effect, as if… someone was manipulating it.
>It was a creationist’s wet dream.
>You turn to Luna, who is turn is staring at the ground.
>She looks… sad.
“You alright?” You make sure.
>Luna looks up and forces a smile, but you can see the tears welling up in her eyes.
>Against your better nature, you decide not to ask her how she’s doing, and return to the world of magic.
>You wonder how many people would kill to see this, with their stories and hopes.
>But but but- priorities.
>Your eyes catch the crashed ship.
“Say Luna, could you-“
>Something latches onto your back.
>You hear the metallic clang of her slippers touching your hard suit and visor.
>Two hooves block your sight.
>”Gee, why are you wearing this again?”
>You jump is surprise, and try to shake Luna off.
>”Weeee! Could you take this off?”
>She presses a random button on your chest piece.
>The comm cuts off, before Luna presses the button again.
>”Oops! Maybe this?”
>She then eyes the hatches on your helmet.
>It slowly pulls open, covered in the same blue aura you saw earlier.
“Nonononono-“ You pull down on the helmet, and push Luna down.
>”Hey, what gives?”
“Luna, don’t. Ever. Try that again.” You balance your body on your knees, placing a hand on each joint.
>More confused stares.
>”Why?”
“I can’t breathe here.”
>Luna gasps.
>”Can’t breathe? Why? Moon air is fine to me!”
>You shake your head.
“Maybe you can, but I can’t. I need this suit- or I’ll die.”
>Luna slowly nodded, and then shook herself to her cheery, somewhat creepy mood.
>She makes fast glances at you and your ship.
>”So- you were saying about the ship?”
“Huh? Oh, right. Could you-“

>And so you began the construction.
>You and Luna will try to put it back to shape, the front half of the shuttle.
>She could round off the impacted surfaces, turning it back to its original form.
>You’d go back in and refill your oxygen tank every eight hours.
>If you were lazy enough, you’d just take your old crew’s tanks.
>It’s been two days.
>You still got plenty of paste and dry bars in stock, and about ten liters of water.
>You’ve been rationing your food since day one.
>Never know how long it would take.
>The familiar hiss goes off, and you are greeted by the starry space.
>It doesn’t take long for you to find your odd companion.
>She is lying right by your airlock, curled into a sleep.
“Morning, Luna.” You call out.
>She stirs awake, and smiles to you.
>She was an… eccentric character.
>She was eager to help you with your every whim.
>You were impressed, but you had no idea why she would help you like this.

“So, why are you here, Luna?” You grab the wielder.
>”What do you mean?”
“The moon, why are you alone?”
>You press the trigger and slowly meld two plates together.
>Sparks fly and then quickly disappears.
>”Well… There was a fight.”
“Oh? With whom?”
>”With my sister.”
“Which was?”
>”Oh, don’t be coy, Celestia.”
“Excuse me?”
>Luna shakes a little.
>”Oh! I’m sorry. Your visor just reminds me of my sister.”
“This one?” You tap the golden gleam.
>She nods.
>And then, her face sinks to a solemn look.
>”It… was a terrible fight. Many ponies lost their lives.”
>You’ve never seen her so serious.
>You decide this is a touchy subject, so you choose to drop the subject.
“Well, anyway, I think we’re ready to go, Luna.”
>”Hmm?”
“If you can just propel me just right, I can ride this ship back to the planet. Then I can get help. I’ll find help for you too.”
>”Anon…”
“I just need one quick burst of energy. The low gravity will make it easier.”
>”Anon….”
“Yes?”
>”There is no escaping the moon, my sister made sure of that.”
>You give her a smug look.
“We can give it a shot, right?”
>Luna frowns once, but she assumes her giddy expression once again.
>”Okay…”
>She subconsciously draws her wings open, like if she was taking flight.
>She closes her eyes.
>She saw this before.

>”Get in.” Luna says.
>You smile and rush into your ship.
>As soon as your airlock seals, you feel a sudden lift.
>Gravity feels stronger, as your ship slowly lurches up.
>It stops for a second, before you are launched.
>You fall to your back, the force is too strong.
>You drag yourself to a nearby railing and pull yourself up, and look outside of the cockpit window.
>The planet is getting bigger and bigger and-
>It stopped?
>You are given a moment of weightlessness, before you are jerked to the ceiling of the deck.
>You’re falling.
>Luna watches in silent agony, as your ship crashes on the same spot again.
>You barely land on your feet as you jump out, and go straight for Luna.
“What did you do?”
>”Nothing, it is my sister’s work.”
“What?”
>”I’m imprisoned here, Anon. She made sure I can’t leave.”
>Luna demonstrates this by throwing up a rock up to the air, only to have it fire back to the ground, leaving another crater.
>Luna opens her wings again, showing you the wounds on it.
>”Ever wondered why we have so much craters in the moon?”

>”Anon, this is pointless!”
“This is pointless.” You echo her mockingly.
>You grunt and meld the broken surfaces again.
>This time, this time- it will work.
>As you close the airlock again, you call out to Luna.
“Remember, try harder!”
>Luna sighs and nods once.
>Your stomach heaves as you feel the speed crushing down on you.
>And at that point again, you stop.
>And with the same speed, you are shot down.
>You have to stay down for a while, due to the shock to your body.
>You crawl out, only to meet Luna’s sad stare.
>”Anon…”
“Again.”

>You drop to your knees, and look up to the stars.
>How many times did you do this?
>Five, six?
>Luna comes up next to you, and lays her head on your helmet.
>”I’m sorry Anon.”
“No.”
>”What?”
“Fuck it, I’m not giving up. Luna, prepare your magic.”
>”But Anon, it’s pointless!”
>You turn to her, and smile.
>It was hidden under the visor, but she gets it anyway.
“We humans never give up. It’s our spirit.”
>God that was the cheesiest line you ever used.
>Luna puts up a hoof to hide something on her face.
>Her expression lights up with the sun behind her.
>”Alright! Let’s do this!”
>You tap on the flat metal surface, and rise to your feet.
>There, all set to go.

>Luna watched as Anonymous slowly backed away from the ship and admires their work.
>She often saw his prideful and smug expression.
>And his insistence to never give up.
>It just seemed so… familiar.
>Anonymous reminded her of a certain pony she knew.
>And know.
>She saw his face only thrice-
>Not that she was counting.
>Most of the time it was obscured by the darkness, since the sunlight would blind him.
>Luna wondered if he had a mane like her.
>Minotaurs certainly didn’t.
>And Anonymous don’t have horns- he’s a ‘hooman’.
“Alright, another leap of faith.”
>Anonymous leaped into his ship, and Luna saw the white pillar that noted its seal.
>She never tried going inside; that would be rude.
“Let’s do this.” Anon beeped through the comm..
>Luna took a non-existent breath, and started her magic.
>She had to admit, doing all this magic polished her skills, little by little.
>Last time she was this powerful, she-
>No, she was not going there.
>She focused her mana to the tip of her horn.
>Just like how she taught her.
>Just like when she was taught to raise the moon.
>With one single push, Luna saw the machine lurch up to the air.
>Funny she thought it was her new friend.
>How silly of her!
>Seconds later, the ship crashed back on the surface of the moon.
>Luna heard Anonymous curse through his comm., many which she did not understand.
>Knowing the next step, Luna slowly made her way to the ship, and began repairing it.
>Just like how Anonymous taught her.
>A plate by plate, a nail by nail.
>Now, to wait for the wielder.
>…
>Where is he?
>Luna glanced sideways, to find a sign of that white figure.
>He is nowhere to be seen.
>Luna waited a little longer.
>”Anon?” She called into the cap.
>She saw a small wave of moon dust scattering on the far side of the ship.
>She then saw a white hand slowly clutch onto the ground, and pull in the body behind it.
>Luna figured by then something was wrong.
>Very, very wrong.
>She quickly ran over to his side, only to see his left leg bent at an odd angle.
>From the way he was laying and his twitchy movements, he was clearly in pain.
>She quickly worked her magic, reverting the limb back to its position.
>Anonymous twisted and writhed more.
>Luna could practically hear him screaming.
>”Please hold on!” She shouted.
>Suddenly, Anonymous stopped.
>He slowly looked up to you, and put up a thumb.
>Luna hesitated, not knowing what the gesture meant.
>Anonymous slowly got to his feet, and pressed the button on the white box.
“Thanks.”
>”Are you… alright?”
>He nods a few times, and tries to get up.
>But he fails to do so, his back falling to the floor helplessly.
>He tries again, only to slump down.
>Luna looked over him, with a worried expression on her face.
>”Anon?”
“Nonon, I’m fine, I just need to-“
>He tries again, only to roll over his stomach.

“Erhm.”
>Luna stifles a laugh, as she follows your suit.
“Can I-“
>Luna bends her knees and lowers herself next to you.
>”Need help?”
>You sigh.
“Please?”
>She smiles, and stands up.
>She offers you a hoof, which you take eagerly.
>She rears back, trying to balance her weight and yours.
>Your feet are almost aligned with the ground when Luna suddenly loses her stance.
>She lets out a yelp before falling, as do you.
>You grip harder on her hoof, as you land with a thud.
>Dust flies off everywhere, obscuring your view.
>Your visor is encrusted with the settling particles.
>You try to dust it off, but more simply float down to take the clear space.
>You groan and pull up the golden visor.
>You hear a sneeze, and some of the small debris clears off.
>And then.
>And then you see the two eyes locked to you.
>You blink once, and it does the same.
>It quickly vanishes up the gray cloud.

>Luna quickly shot up, and froze in place.
>Her face lit up, feeling a stinging warmth for once.
>Anonymous still held onto her hoof, in his strong grip.
“Uhhh.” He stammered.
>”I-I-I-“ Luna did the same.
>Anonymous let go slowly, and let Luna get off him.
“How about magic?”
>”Call.”
>You are immediately flung to your feet.
>So fast, you almost fall flat on your face.
>Helmet, whatever.
“Thanks.”
>”No problem- c-can we get back to work?”
“Please?”

>Ignoring the event, the two of you went back to work.
>It was almost cyclical.
>That day, Luna and you attempted escape two more times, before stopping for lunch.
>You offered a dry bar once, Luna didn’t like it so much.
>She spat it at your general direction.
>Not using that helmet again.
>Luna commented on your increased trials, but she won’t understand.
>The concept of wearing suits outside was foreign to her in the first place.
>You can’t explain what goes against what came to her naturally.
>You were running out of time.
>To be more specific, oxygen.
>The fuel can last so long.
>Soon, the generator’s out.
>And food will be least of your worries.
>Of course, you can’t let Luna know.
>She often considered you a friend.
>And you figured losing a friend so fast wouldn’t do much to her psyche.
>So every chance you got, you try to escape.
>Better you die somewhere far off than here.
“Again, Luna.”
>”But Anon, we’re not-“
“I’ll be fine, again!”
>No you weren’t.
>Your leg still hurts.
>And yet, you still go on.
>You have to.
>Pushing limits, it’s what people always done.
>That’s how you achieve something.
>But sometimes…
>It just doesn’t work.
>The ship began to rattle, and then to full blown shaking.
>You were thrown to either side of the deck, and everything was flying everywhere.
>Your thoughts stopped for a second.
>Could this be it?
>And everything stops.
>Even you, float in mid-air.
>You feel weightless.
>You glance out the window, to the infinite, random arrangement of stars.
>It is beautiful.
>It always was.
>Funny how quickly you can get used to things.
>A plate passes through your view, and then- it slowly descends.
>Your eyes go wide, and your heart begins to sink.
>You were falling back.
>You are slowly lifted higher.
>You hear the same loud crash, as the metal wall bends around you.
>Sparks fly off, and small machinery breaks off.
>Far too late you realize what’s happening.
>The ship is breaking off.
>The vehicle lets out one final low pitched whine, before cracking.
>Clear white walls snap open, revealing the dark void.
>Everything that is not nailed to the floor gets sucked out.
>Of course, that means you.
>You are barely given the chance to hold on to something, before you are pushed out to the cold space.
>You hurl and twirl a few times, with no hope of regaining your balance.
>Finally, you stop.
>You look down to see yourself covered in blue aura; Luna’s magic.
>You are slowly brought to Luna.
>”Anon, the ship…”
>You turn around to face a pile of debris that was your ship.

“No!” You scream, as you make a mad dash for the remnant of the shuttle.
>But you know it.
>It’s lost.
>The recent push was just too much.
>You rummage through the pieces, hoping for the impossible.
>”Anon!” Luna trots up to you.
>”It’s lost, stop it!”
“No, I can still fix this!”
>Luna jumps and pins you to a wall.
>”Anon. I don’t think even I can fix this.”
>You stare at her for a second, and then you push her off.
“I got this, get my tools!”
>Luna stands silent, looking scared.
>You snap at her.
“Get my tools!”
>She takes a step back.
>”Anon, I’m scared.”
“Fine! To the hell with you!”
>You brush her off, and head towards your tools stashed inside a crater.
>Before you can reach it, your helmet suddenly cracks, and you are thrown to the ground.
>You’re on your back again, looking up to the stars.
>Luna slowly trots next to you, looking down grimly.
“Luna? Help me up, I can still save the-“
>”Shut up!” two of Luna’s hooves slam on your chest.
>That shut you up.
>”I can’t see you like this, Anon, I just can’t!”
>She’s crying loudly now.
>Her tears gently float to the ground, wobbling in the low gravity.
>”I don’t want to- I can’t see you turn into-“
>”Me.”
“Luna, I will never-“
>”But you are! It’s pointless, Anon, it’s pointless.”
>Luna breaks down on you, laying her body over yours.
“No, Luna, the reason I do this is-“ You cut yourself.
>And at that moment, a small light starts to blip.
>You know what that means.
>”What? Why?”
“… I’m dying.”
>Luna goes speechless.
“See this?” You point at the red dot. “I’m almost out of oxygen, Luna- I’m gonna die soon.”
>”What? Nonono- I know, you can just take off the helmet and breathe like I do!”
>You put up your visor, and look to her sadly.
>”B-but- you can’t go… I need you.”
“No, you’ll be fine, Luna.”
>”I NEED you Anon- I-I like you…”
>You can’t help but to smile.
“You like me?”
>You see a blush on her face, with a small smile.
“Well then.”
>You open one of the latches holding your helmet down.
>You hear a light hiss.
>”Anon, what are you doing?”
>Luna is starting to panic.
“I have to leave a good lasting goodbye, don’t I?”
>”Stop talking like that, I can help you with my magic!”
“I have to die sooner or later, Luna- say- I never realized how beautiful the stars are.”
>You let out a chuckle.
“I suppose we tend to not appreciate the things we always see.”
>Luna smiles weakly, and turns around to see the sight.
>She rolls off you and lies next to you, watching the show.
>”I suppose we do.”
“You know, maybe you can do something with your mane, work it with the stars.”
>Luna smiles again, followed by a short giggle.
>”I suppose I should.”
>A short silence rings out between the two of you.
>Luna holds tries to hold back the tears, and sniffles.
>”I’ll miss you if I go.”
“Don’t worry, vacuum has a great way of preserving bodies.” You smile.
>Almost out now.
>Your breath begins to fog the helmet.
“Luna…”
>You slide a hand behind her head, eliciting a surprised gasp.
“I need you to trust me with this.”
>You open the other lock.

>You quickly take off the helmet, and throw it off.
>At the same time, you pull Luna close to you.
>You leave a small kiss, before letting go.
>You draw your last breath, as Luna goes away from you.
>It’s so cold.

>It was so cold.
>It always was.
>But now…
>Luna felt the tingling warmth on her lips, which quickly faded away.
>Anonymous let out a breath, and went silent.
>”Anon?” She called out.
>”Anon!”
>She shook his body, but he didn’t respond.
>He was-
>No.
>Luna quickly erected a shield around her, and tried to create more ‘oxygen’.
>But she didn’t know what it was.
>Tears fell endlessly.
>Her only friend was gone.
>She slowly slid his cap off, seeing his mane.
>So he did have one.
>Luna began to take his suit off.
>She first removed his glove, revealing a much smaller hand underneath.
>Luna lifted it up with her magic, and slid it over her cheeks.
>His fingers were smooth, and it was still warm.
>He was definitely not a minotaur.
>Luna laid with his corpse for a while, absorbing his warmth.
>His hands ran through her mane, separating it.
>Luna loved the feeling, being stroked.
>And then, anger filled her.
>It was all Celestia’s fault!
>If she didn’t hold everyone back- Anon would’ve-
>And so Luna began to draw her power.
>She would awaken one thing Celestia feared.
>It would be a nightmare over Equestria.
>They would all pay.
>And then she reached out to the forgotten.
>She called out to the stars…

>Her mane split with the brush.
>Some of the mane dissipated for a second, before reuniting.
>It’s stars gleamed softly, in the navy blue background.
>Anonymous would’ve liked it.
>”Once again, it is good to have you back, Luna.”
>She turned to the white princess pony before her.
“I-Indeed, thine words makes this pony feel most welcome.”
>Her sister smiled.
>”Of course, if anything-“
“Then a moment would be most appropriate.”
>Celestia opened the chamber door, turned around to sneak a smile, and then she left.
>Luna sighed, and continued to brush her mane.
>”Luna!”
>Celestia suddenly burst into the room.
>Luna sighed and turned to her sister.
“Speak.”
>”You have to see this, sister; it calls itself a ‘hooman’, or whatever!”
>And for that second, Luna’s eyes gleamed like the stars.

http://youtu.be/XGPTpbuL6HE [For kicks.]

~End