//------------------------------// // Going home // Story: Luna's Power and Rainbow's love // by zyr1987 //------------------------------// A/N: Hopefully the bug with chapters is gone now... The events of this story take place during what would be Mysterious Mare Do Well. xxxxxx Now, if things were nice and simple, we could just say that Rainbow and Fluttershy would have a happy, easy relationship from the get go, but, seeing as life and love aren't simple, and the two ponies are total opposites in many ways, there was bound to be some friction. Of course, Rainbow Dash, knowing that Fluttershy didn't like arguing and thinking that she might just go along with what the blue mare said, regardless of how the she herself felt, spent a half hour trying to get her to Pinkie Promise that she would speak up about her own feeling, opinions, and desires and not just go along with what Dash said. We pick up the action that afternoon, with Dash and Fluttershy trying to deal with yet another issue of contention between them, this one about Fluttershy's preference for being alone, especially after extended periods around other ponies, not quite meshing with Rainbow Dash's dislike of being left alone. “Why would you want to spend time away from me? I thought you loved me?” Rainbow asked. “I do, but that doesn't mean I need to spend all of my time with you, does it?” Fluttershy had initially hated having to talk about her thoughts and feelings on these matters with Rainbow Dash, because she always thought it would end up in an argument (and several times it had), but, as the day wore on, she became more comfortable with it, especially since many times it meant not having to do things that she hated doing more than arguing. “...I guess not, but can't you stick around for a while? Please?” “It's not like I'm going anywhere. I just want a few hours to myself. Is that so much to ask?” Fluttershy asked. “Fine. Just don't wander too far.” “Thank you Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, before giving her marefriend a kiss on the cheek and walking downstream a short ways. She lay down and let her mind wander, starting to feel the tension of the day melt away within a few minutes. Luna, who had been watching from the sidelines, said to Rainbow Dash, “it seems strange to me that you two would argue about whether you should spend so much time together.” “Well, I hate being left alone, but, apparently, Fluttershy likes it. I don't get it, personally, and I guess I just hate to see her walk away like that, but I guess a few hours away from her couldn't hurt.” “Indeed. Also, if you were to take your naps, she would have more time to herself, and you would be much less cranky.” “I'm not cranky!” Luna couldn't help but roll her eyes at Rainbow's demonstration of her point. She said, “Take your naps, it can only help.” Rainbow realized that Luna was right and told the dark alicorn that she was turning in early, before crawling into her tent, quickly falling into the land of dreams. A few hours later, Fluttershy was feeling much better, so she headed back to camp, where she found Luna waiting for her. She asked, “Where's Rainbow?” “She turned in early. Something about missing her nap.” “Oh.” “And I must say, she's been having some very...interesting dreams about you,” Luna said. “What do you mean?” “I have been watching her dreams since she went to her tent, as I am able to do as princess of the night, and many of them have been rather...physically intimate.” Fluttershy took a second to process what Luna was saying, then said, “That's a bit creepy.” “Anyway, I was wondering.” “Yes?” “When we left on this trip, Rainbow Dash mentioned that you were not a particularly strong flier,” Luna said, hoping not to offend the long maned Pegasus. “I'm not. I was always the slowest in my class, and fell out of the sky several times. I was picked on by students and teachers about it when I was a filly.” “Is there any particular reason for this?” “I'm not sure. The doctors said my wings had developed normally, but I just couldn't fly fast or hard at all. My parents apparently hated this, as they heaped all the attention on my brother, and basically ignored me,” Fluttershy admitted, obviously dealing with some very bad memories. Luna said, “I am sorry to hear that, and, for what it's worth, I promised Rainbow Dash that I would have something done about the bullying problem a few days ago.” “Thank you. It's nice to know others won't have to suffer like we did.” The next morning Luna was forced to use her Royal Canterlot Voice again, because Rainbow Dash was trying to oversleep on the grounds that she had missed her nap the day before. After a bit of grumbling, though, Rainbow Dash was mostly ready for the day. As they made their final preparations before taking to the sky again, Luna said “We should be at the cave by nightfall.” “How long will it take us to get back?” Fluttershy asked. “About five days, depending on weather and our physical states.” Rainbow asked, “And will we be able to watch you get your power back?” “I see no reason why not. If you attempt to steal the vessel, however, I will have to kill you,” Luna said with complete seriousness, scaring her traveling partners a bit. They set off, ready for their goal to be met, and happy to soon be able to head back to Ponyville for some good food and soft beds. Landing a few hours later, Luna looked at the mountain, now clearly visible, but obviously still a bit of a ways off. She looked at her companions, who were waiting for their tea, and said, “that is our destination. There is a cave about halfway up, which is where we'll be headed. We will rest in there, since it seems like the uncontrolled weather here is going to take a turn for the worse.” The two Pegasi nodded in acknowledgment, obviously happy to finally be near their goal. Their lunch ready, the three of them sat down, and Rainbow asked, “so what will you do with your full power restored?” “Honestly, I doubt that having my full power pack will change much of anything. If I had to say anything would change I would say that I might find new ways to prank my dear sister, and mess with the nobility. Those are always good for a laugh,” Luna said, with a mischievous smirk. “I don't think they would like that,” Fluttershy said. “Well, yes, but my sister does have a bad habit of messing with me as well, and some of the nobles are so full of themselves that it does not hurt to knock them down a notch or two every once in a while. Even dear 'Tia knows this.” “It still doesn't seem very nice.” “Sometimes you have to be mean to ensure that things don't spiral out of control or take a turn for the worse, and sometimes its just easier and more entertaining to remind ponies who's in charge, especially when they start getting uppity,” Luna said. “Makes sense, I guess,” Rainbow said, taking more notice of the fact that Luna had called her sister 'Tia, instead of some variation of 'my dear sister'. They sat in silence for a few moments, chewing away at the dried apple slices they were steadily getting sick of. Eventually, Luna broke the silence, saying, “I have now come to the conclusion that camping is overrated.” “Well, duh. Who would want to spend their time sleeping on hard ground, and having to boil their water all the time?” Rainbow asked. “I kinda like it. I think it brings me closer to nature,” Fluttershy admitted. “But you're already close to nature in your cottage.” “This is different. I can't really describe it, but there's something about being out here among the untouched wilderness that appeals to me.” Luna looked at Rainbow, who merely shrugged. Fluttershy then said, “I could use a brush, though.” Luna levitated a stick, and transformed it into a brush, before sending it over to Fluttershy, who took it, and set about brushing out her hair. Rainbow, meanwhile, decided to take a nap, letting Fluttershy have her "me time" in the meantime. Luna watched the two mares, feeling a bit jealous about what they now had, and she never did, a lover that each could call their own. However, instead of mope about her lack of a love life, she decided to try to find her soulmate after this adventure, though she had no idea how she would even begin to go about doing this, and not just because a large part of the populace still feared her. Modern romance was not something she had any opportunity to familiarize herself with, which, combined with her reputation of being a terrifying pony who liked to eat foals, was going to be quite the hurdle to overcome. After thinking about this, and the tangent of the events of Nightmare Night, she wondered whether she could get the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to help her out. After all, she did at least have their respect and they knew the modern world far better than she, so they could be a big help, but she realized, at the same time, they were a bit prone to causing havoc as Fancypants and his party guests had learned the hard way about three weeks prior (and Rarity did unwittingly humiliate Luna by dying her pink in the process of giving her a makeover, and she wasn't quite ready to forgive the alabaster mare for that). Eventually, though, she decided to put such thoughts on the back burner, and focus on the job ahead, since thinking of home was making her realize just how much she missed it. She went over the procedure to get the vessel's power in her head for the 700th time and tried to think of anything that needed doing, but aside from a slight need to pee, there wasn't anything that required her attention at the moment, so she pulled out her pack of cards and set up yet another game of solitaire, wishing she had learned a few other card games. Then a letter appeared. Now, before Luna had set out on this trip, the two royal sisters had agreed to keep correspondence limited to things that were of great importance, since it's not easy to get a letter out to a specific pony in the middle of nowhere, when said pony didn't have a dragon as her mailbox, so Luna was worried of course. However, when she read the letter her worry turned to confusion, because it was reporting that Ponyville had been flooded after the nearby dam burst, but Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's homes had been spared from the flood waters, and while Luna's presence was preferred, it was not required, which made no sense. Why send a letter out here if her presence was not required, she wondered. Since all of the information in the letter would most likely be publicly available, Luna saw no reason to hide it from her two companions, and, in fact, levitated it to Fluttershy, saying “you might want to read this.” After Fluttershy read through the letter she said, “Oh my. Is everyone okay?” “All the information I have is in that letter, unfortunately. However, I think I can have us back in Ponyville in three days, after I get the vessel.” “How?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, we will spend three days flying back, and, after our afternoon flight on the third day, we should be close enough to Ponyville that I can teleport us to the outskirts of the city. It does take a lot of power, however, and will probably leave me too tired to do much of anything, so, since my sister is in town, presumably to boost morale, you may want to tell her where I am.” “Okay. Should we wake Rainbow?” “Yes. I'm sure it's better to let her know what's going on.” They woke the cyan mare, who was really cranky after her second rude awakening that day, though she stopped complaining when Luna levitated the letter over to her, and said, “You may want to read this. It is about Ponyville.” After reading the letter three times through, to get past the grogginess, Rainbow tried to leave for home by herself, exclaiming, “we have to get back!” Luna used her magic to stop the rainbow maned Pegasus, and said, “Well, we can't right now. We are in the middle of nowhere and it would take at least five days flight to get back.” “But we can't just sit here and do nothing!” “For now, that's really all we can do. However, after we get what we came here for, I can get us back more quickly than if we just relied on our wings,” Luna said. “And how fast can you get us back with your full power?” “Three days, starting from tomorrow morning. Four if you do not think exhausting most of my supply of magic is worth it.” “What happens when you exhaust your magic?” Rainbow asked, curious. “I become really tired.” “Oh. So when are we heading for the cave?” “If you think you are up for it, we can leave right now,” Luna said, seeing how antsy Rainbow was. “Let's go then! I want to get back as soon as I can!” “I am sure.” They set off, a lot on their minds. They arrived at the cave an hour later, finding it to be a simple, practical place. There were a few alcoves near the ceiling, and a pink shield around a pedestal. Luna pointed at two of these alcoves and said, “In there, you will each find a pressure plate and a dial. Your job is to stand on the pressure plates and, when I count to three, turn the dials. Mundane, yes, but I cannot get through the magical shield otherwise.” “Okay,” the pegasi said. As they moved into position, Luna considered the implications of returning to her full power. To be completely fair, this wasn't going to be a huge boost, unless Celestia was lying to her (not something she would put past her dear sister), but it did carry some symbolic weight, and that had its own implications. Implications that an alicorn that had recently dealt with the most desperate, homesick Pegasus in Equestria was too tired to ponder. When the two pegasi were in position, Luna used the Royal Canterlot Voice to count to three, to make sure they heard her loud and clear. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to coordinate your actions with someone when the entire room is shaking, and your ears are filled with a booming voice which is why the first attempt failed. Luna, who made no effort to hide her annoyance, said, “It didn't work. Try again.” “Can we try without the Royal Canterlot Voice, please?” Fluttershy asked, her ears still ringing. “Fine,” Luna said, with a much quieter voice, though one still laced with annoyance, “On three. One, two, three.” This time, it went off without a hitch, and, with the barrier lowered, Luna quickly grabbed the vessel, which looked like a stone cylinder, about six inches long, with no markings of any sort on it. She cracked it open, and a strange energy swirled around her. The two pegasi watched with awe as it affected the alicorn's body. As the energy swirled around Luna, her eyes glowed briefly, her coat became noticeably darker, she grew slightly, and the lock of hair in her mane that wasn't flowing shrunk. When this was done, she gave a small smile and said, “I always forget how good that feels. Anyway, shall we have our dinner?” “Okay, but I'm not sure we have any wood or water for our tea,” Fluttershy said. Luna looked around, then, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face, said, “I will return in a few minutes.” While they were alone, Rainbow asked, “You think everyone's okay? In Ponyville, I mean.” “I hope so.” “So do I.” “Why did you try to run off, though?” Fluttershy asked. “Because I couldn't leave Ponyville hanging.” “But taking a five day flight home through the wilds by yourself? I mean, I desperately want to help out too, but don't you think that's a little silly?” “I had just waken up when I heard the news. I wasn't thinking straight,” Rainbow said. “Oh.” Fluttershy thought Well, okay, what else should I have expected Dash to do, if she thought our friends were in danger.. Before they could speak further, Luna appeared with a pot full of water and a bunch of dry wood and brush. Over dinner, Rainbow asked, “Are you sure you can have us back to Ponyville in three days?” “Yes, though you may have to find my sister, or Twilight Sparkle when we arrive, so they can attend to me,” Luna said, knowing she had mentioned this before, but wanting to make sure they remembered. “Because you'll be too exhausted to find them yourself, right?” “Yes. It's a small price to pay, though, assuming I don't end up completely submerged,” Luna said. “Well, seeing how this trip has gone...” “I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility, no, but since my sister is on the scene, I should be safe, if a bit muddy,” Luna said. The next day, they finally had the opportunity to drink something other than tea: rainwater that Luna had collected from a passing storm the night before. As they ate, Luna, deciding that it would be best to take their minds off what had happened in Ponyville, asked, “Fluttershy, is it true that you drove a dragon to tears?” “Yes, but only because it hurt my friends.” “Regardless of the reason, it's still quite the feat. How did you do it?” “I think she used the stare on it. There's no other explanation I can think of, and it only seems to come out when somepony she cares about is in danger,” Rainbow said. “Like when we encountered that cockatrice,” Fluttershy said. “Yeah. I'm still amazed that you could stare it down.” “So am I,” Luna admitted. Fluttershy didn't respond, instead getting up and preparing for the first leg of their journey back, something obviously bugging her. Luna, not quite finished with her hay, decided to check up on her. “Is everything alright, Fluttershy?” “I still worry about Ponyville.” “So do I, but you shouldn't worry yourself about that right now. We'll do what we can when we get back, but, for now, we should focus on actually getting back.” Fluttershy didn't respond but did visibly relax. Luna said, “we should leave soon. We have a long trip ahead of us, and I doubt any of us want to waste too much time.” “Okay,” Fluttershy said, turning to put her saddlebag on. Also, You might want to carry your blanket in your saddlebag, in case it rains again.” Fluttershy realized Luna had a point and stuffed her blanket haphazardly into her saddlebag, really wanting to leave. Soon Rainbow and Luna were packed as well, and they were off. Shortly after dinner, on day two of the journey back, still trying to keep her mind off Ponyville, and having resolved the bigger issues that could come between them, Rainbow Dash had set out trying to convince Fluttershy to join in on her and Pinkie's weekly pranking spree; something Fluttershy was very uncomfortable with doing. “C'mon, Fluttershy, It'll be fun. Just imagine the pranks we can pull with you animal friends.” “But what if somepony gets hurt, or hurts one of my animal friends? I couldn't bear it!” “I promise I won't let anypony or animal get hurt.” Fluttershy was still very uncomfortable with the idea, but, not wanting to argue further, said, “I'll think about it.” “Okay.” Rainbow took this as a good sign, but was smart enough not to get her hopes up. Luna watched with some bemusement, but elected not to comment. When she sensed that the conversation had ended, she said, “Anyway, Tomorrow, we'll be back in Ponyville, and, since you know the town better than I do, I am hoping that you will assist me in providing disaster relief.” “Of course, though I think the town might still be scared of you,” Rainbow pointed out. Luna groaned, and said, “Of course they would be. Why must these ponies keep fearing me? I have done much for them on the legal and political fronts since my return.” “I think it has something to do with somepony called 'Nightmare Moon'.” Luna groaned and facehoofed. “I wish they would forget about that lamentable part of my past, already. Being reminded of it constantly is getting tiresome.” “Well, you kinda brought it on yourself.” “Well, yes and no. While it is true that jealousy drove me down the path towards becoming Nightmare Moon, I did have some help unwittingly forced upon me. But still, how would you feel if you were defined by your time under Discord's influence?” “Okay you have a point there,” Rainbow admitted, with a sigh. Noting that the princess was saying nothing more, she tried to get Fluttershy's attention, but Fluttershy had noticed the same lull and decided to ask Luna, “What was that song you were humming earlier?” That song was a melancholic tune that tickled at the edges of the yellow mare's memory, but one she couldn't quite place. “It's an old tune that I remember from the days before I was banished. I have long since forgotten the words, but it's always had special meaning for me. I think it's about someone who's misunderstood, and ostracized.” “Do you remember what it's called?” “I think it's called 'Behind Blue Eyes',” Luna said. Despite this new information the memory remained frustratingly out of reach. Fluttershy gave up on figuring it out for now, when Rainbow tapped her shoulder. “Maybe you could ask Lyra about it when we get back to Ponyville. She would probably know.” “I guess,” Fluttershy said, before she gave rainbow a quick peck, and walked down to the river's edge. Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy, holding the battleclouds box they had found in Luna's saddlebag earlier. They quickly set the game up and conversed between moves. “Are you still scared of Luna?” Rainbow asked. “Kinda. She does make me nervous, but it's not as bad as it was before.” “I know what you mean. She did make me nervous early on, even if she did let me get away with using my thundercloud to scare ponies on Nightmare night, although she did scare me with it. Now that we've spent a week with her, though, she doesn't seem that scary.” “I agree, but she's still a bit scary to deal with. Remember what happened yesterday?” Fluttershy asked. “When her eyes glowed and she started yelling at me because I tried to knock her into the water?” “Yeah, when you soiled yourself.” “Yeah, that was terrifying. And stupid of me,” Rainbow said. “Well, it wasn't the first dumb thing you've done.” “Don't remind me.” The day they would return to Ponyville arrived, and a certain member of this little adventuring group was already getting impatient. No prizes for guessing which one. “When are we going to teleport home?” Rainbow asked, sounding more frustrated than when she had to deal with Fluttershy when getting rid of that dragon on top of the mountain. “Tonight, after we reach what would be our dinner area. I know you want to get home as quickly as possible, Rainbow Dash, but magic has its limitations, and we need to get in range first, and, unless you feel like risking teleporting inside of a solid tree, I will need at least an hour to prepare after we land.” Rainbow groaned in frustration, but didn't say anything else. Fluttershy who was listening to this, said, “so about 11 hours then?” “Unless you want to cut our lunch rest short, yes.” “I'd be okay with that,” Rainbow said. “I am sure you would, but I would rather get an idea of what kind of condition we are in when we land. Better safe than sorry, as they say.” “Okay, then, when we get back to Ponyville, you want us to find Celestia or Twilight for you, right?” “Yes, since teleporting over such a long distance will consume almost all of my magical reserves, and I probably won't be able to move,” Luna said. “Okay. But why Twilight?” “Because she can probably teleport us to somewhere safer and more restful than a grassy knoll. “Oh, that makes sense.” Rainbow Dash, still impatient, and sensing that their conversation had ended, asked, “So, are we going or what?” “We're leaving, okay Rainbow Dash?” “Thank you!” Landing for lunch, Luna was ready to be hit with another Rainbow barrage, but, much to her relief, it didn't come, though it was obvious that Rainbow was restless. Luna said, “If you take your nap after lunch, it will be time to go before you know it.” “You think I can sleep when we're so close to getting home?” “You look as if you haven't slept in three days. Try to get some rest.” “Is that a royal order?” Rainbow asked. “Let's say yes.” “Fine. First, though, I want my lunch.” When Rainbow seemed to go to sleep, Luna turned her attention to Fluttershy, who had become somewhat withdrawn, and asked, “Is everything okay Fluttershy?” “Just thinking about how everyone in Ponyville is still scared of you, and what might happen when we get back.” Luna sighed and said, “I do realize that that may be a problem, but maybe if I help out enough, they will grow to trust me.” “Maybe,” Fluttershy said. “Are you still scared of me?” “I'm a bit nervous around you, but it's not nearly as bad as it was on Nightmare Night.” “That is the answer I was hoping for. Maybe being around them and helping them out will have the same effect, and I can stop watching ponies cower in fear of me,” Luna said. “Maybe,” Fluttershy said. When she landed at their final location before teleporting home, Rainbow immediately demanded that they teleport now, with Luna having to magically zip her mouth shut before she could get a word in. The dark alicorn said, “Rainbow Dash, you need to be patient. I seem to recall mentioning earlier that we will need time to rest up and for me to determine a good place to teleport us to, unless you want to risk ending up inside of a very solid tree.” “When will we leave, princess?” Fluttershy asked, watching Rainbow try to get her mouth unzipped. “In an hour. In the meantime, try to relax. We'll probably have a busy few days ahead of us. And do not worry about Rainbow Dash. The spell will wear off in five minutes or when she succeeds in unzipping her mouth.” Rainbow, upon hearing this, shook her hoof at Luna, who simply ignored her. Fluttershy asked, “should we make dinner?” “I was actually hoping to eat when we got back to Ponyville, but I guess a few more apple slices couldn't hurt.” Sooner than the pegasi realized, it was time to go. Luna said, “just to be safe, stay close to me. Long distance teleportation is risky enough as is, and I do not want to add any unnecessary complications.” The two pegasi did as told, and soon the familiar sensations that come with teleportation filled their ears. When they rematerialized, they found themselves on top of a hill looking down at Ponyville, and Luna was lying on her stomach, obviously too tired to move. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash headed into town to find Celestia or Twilight, and almost immediately bumped into Rarity. “Wow, you guys are back, already?” She asked. “We kind of rushed back when we heard what happened. Do you know where Celestia and Twilight are?” “Oh, sure, they're in the market, having dinner. Why?” “Luna teleported us home, at the cost of most of her magic reserves, and she wanted to see Twilight or Celestia,” Rainbow explained. “Oh. Is she okay?” “She'll be fine, I think. If you want to see her, she's on that hill. By the way, why are you here and not at the market with everyone else?” “Because I was chasing after my hat,” Rarity said, now wearing said apparel. “Oh.” “Anyway, I'll go with you to the market. Better than getting my hooves dirty on some muddy hill.” “Okay,” Rainbow said. Arriving at the market, the three ponies saw their friends and Celestia gathered around one very large table, and all of them were shocked to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in town. Twilight said, “I thought you two were supposed to be gone for two more days.” “The three of us wanted to get back as quickly as possible after we heard what happened. Luna's on a hill just outside the east gate, and she wants to see you and Princess Celestia.” “Well, it's good to see you back, but, if Luna wanted to see me, why didn't she come herself?” Celestia asked. “For the same reason she wants to see you I suspect. She's too tired to move after teleporting us home.” “Oh. Well, let's not keep her waiting, shall we?” Celestia said, before she teleported everyone to the east gate. When they reached Luna, several seconds later, they found the dark mare was very tired indeed, but at least strong enough to lift her head and speak. She said, “It's good to see you well, 'Tia.” “And you too, Luna. So how went your trip to the wilds?” “Well, it was more complicated than I would have hoped. We had to deal with a cockatrice, a bad storm, and a fire, among other things, I learned that Fluttershy has a strange but very useful power, and my two companions fell in love,” Luna said, exaggerating a bit. “Sounds like quite the story.” “It is. Also, 'Tia, when we get the chance, I would like to have a word with you about certain of Equestria's laws.” “Of course, but first we should focus on getting Ponyville back on its feet. The flood damage is pretty extensive.” “Of course.”