//------------------------------// // She Likes Being Raised // Story: How To Raise Your Moon // by Pen Mightier //------------------------------// The greenish blue ribbon of the horizon glowed as the sun crested its edge. The golden disc steadily crawled into the dawn sky, chasing the night away. The moon remained stubbornly still, even as the mighty star crept ever closer. We probably had minutes before the two met. Moments even.   What would happen when the moon and sun came together? Would the sky turn dark as it did one thousand years ago?   Never had I been more afraid of the morning sky.   I felt something soft and warm gently pull my gaze away from my fears. I distractedly raised a claw to whatever it was. It closed around a soft little forehoof softly cupping my cheek, pulling my eyes towards her own. She gave me a reassuring smile. Only the tears brimming in the corners of her glimmering emerald eyes betrayed her fear. "It shall all be alright, dear Spike. I promise," she said, a forced calm in her voice.   "There must be a way to break that Cursey-Mark!" I growled at the three diamonds on her cheek, mocking me with their eerie blue glow.   Her eyes widened. "You knew?" she murmured.   There was no time to explain. "If anypony knows how to break the curse, it's Twilight. Or, hey, maybe all we need is the power of the Crystal Heart." I said, quickly. I leapt up out of her hold. "Just wait right here. A few quick letters and..." I was already halfway to the balcony door when I felt something root me in place.   "Please," I heard a whisper from behind me. The pair of forehooves curled around my chest tightened. I felt something soft and familiar headbutt me in the small of my back again. "Please stay with me. Just a while longer," she pleaded, her voice weary as she pressed her forehead against my back.   "I can fix this," I said, feeling my voice begin to shake. I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince then: her or myself. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the moon's shadow begin to swallow up the sun's glow, slowly taking my hopes with it. "I could write to Princess Celestia. She could lower the moon." I wasn't even suggesting it anymore, I was pleading for it to be true.   "No, dear Spike. If sister could move the moon for me, my crime one thousand years ago would have been inconsequential." I felt her shake her head against my back. "As long as I am here, nopony else can move it." She took a deep breath before giving a soft sigh. "Hence why, please, stay with me, just for a little while. In a few moments everything will be alright. I promise."   Everything will be alright? What does she mean? How can everything be alright? As long as she's here and unable to use magic, the moon will remain in the sky and the sun won’t be able to rise. As long as she's here...wait...she couldn't have!   The world turned dark, even as a blinding flash of light lit up the sky. The eclipse had begun, starting with the 'diamond ring': The brilliant explosion of light erupting from the last remains of the sun as it slid behind the moon's shadow.   Dark ghostly tendrils swirled around us, whipping up a fierce cold wind. My heart went cold as recognition struck me.   It was a Tantabus.   She must have cursed herself with yet another one. Maybe it was even the same one she absorbed before. Knowing her, the curse must have been set to devour her in a living nightmare if she ever allowed another eternal night to happen.   "A Tantabus?! Again?!" I breathed in disbelief as I felt my bile rise. I looked up at the sun as its brim met the moon's edge, setting the rim on fire in a brilliant corona. "Is that the trigger for it? A solar eclipse?" I felt her ears droop behind me as my voice rose. "Why? Do you think punishing yourself again will help anypony?!" I demanded hotly.   "I-It is the only way." She shook her head gently against my back. "Once the Tantabus consumes me, Sister will be free to move the moon. I shall not allow my subjects to suffer because of my evil. Never. Never again."   "No, that's just not fair!" I cried. I felt hot tears burn my cheeks despite my anger. "I’m not letting you go!”   SPIKE WANT! MINE!   “You can't go! You..." My voice faltered. My anger died in my throat. I felt something warm and wet against the small of my back smother my rage.   "P-Please." I heard a soft sniffle. "I don’t have much time left. Please, just let me into your magic circle," she pleaded, her hold on me tightening. "Just for a brief moment, I...I don’t want to be a princess. I...I...I don't want to...to be alone."   I whirled around like a comet, sweeping her off her hooves. She gave a surprised squeak as I raised her up, pulling her against me. Her soft, silky mane billowed in the harsh wind. Her tears sparkled in the dying sunrise as they fell through the air. Every bit of her glowed as if to make up for the sun, even through the dark coils of magic curling about her tiny form.   She curled up against me, her forehooves around my shoulders, her rear-hooves tightening against my back. She held me for dear life, as if I were the last person she'd ever see.   She probably thought that too.   "Thanks, Sparks," she whispered softly. "I...I had fun." She loosened her hold to peer up at me, her eyes twinkling with tears. I watched as the last of the sunlight glancing over the edge of the moon slowly died away on her face.   And then it appeared, ripping out of a burning blue gash in the darkness behind her. The tall, gaunt, sickly black and violet shadow pulled itself halfway out of the rip in the air. It reared its faceless head back before letting out a deathly shriek into the pitch black sky. Its ghostly limbs reached out to curl about my Meepy's neck, ready to pull her through the dimensional tear and into the burning blue fires of the eternal living nightmare it came from.   She gave me a brave little smile, the bravest smile I had ever seen. "It's time to go," The little mare in my arms sighed, reluctantly releasing me as the dark coils wove themselves about her. "Goodbye, Sparks." She whispered, letting me go.   ...   "No."   "What?" She blinked.   "No," I repeated. She might be ready to let go. But I wasn't. I probably never would be. I held onto her tightly, challenging anypony to come between me and her. "You're still in my magic circle. Nopony gives you a hard time here, especially not that jerk." I snarled at the Tantabus.   "Foal! You must let me go!" she cried in sudden panic. She struggled, flapping her wings against me. "Release me, lest the curse banish you as well!" She pushed out desperately against me with her hooves.   I held her even tighter against me. I was ready to chase her to the ends of the universe. I would follow her beyond it if I had to.   "No! Y-You can't!" she cried, pushing and struggling against me, but only feebly. "Y-You need to stay! The Council needs you! Equestria needs you!" she whimpered, pummeling me with her little hoofsies. "This is my punishment! This is what I deserve for being happy!" she wailed. "I deserve to be...to be alone," her voice cracked before trailing away into a sob. "A-Alone," she echoed, her voice hollow.   She sniffled quietly, her elfin form trembling in my claws. She shook her head slowly. “No. No. No,” she repeated over and over under her breath. She finally looked up at me, gleaming tears running down from her pained face. “Sparks,” she pleaded, hiccupping softly.   I looked deep into her eyes and softly asked, "Tell me, what do you really want?"   "I....I..." She gave in and buried her face in my chest. "I don't want to be alone, Sparks!" she sobbed. "I never want to be alone again!" she cried, clutching onto me as tightly as her little hooves could.   I held her silently as the dark curse swirled all around us, its raw force howling through my scales and whipping at her mane. The Tantabus' ghostly tendrils coiled around us, binding us together.   "Hay, Meepysquee," I finally said, softly.     She gave a little hiccup as she slowly peered up at me.   "You won't be alone," I promised her, giving her a comforting squeeze. "Never again. Because..."   "...I will always be with you.” I whispered, softly. “Like your moon, constant and true You raise me up, you always do And through the dark I'll see you through. "When the sky turns upside down Just fall on me, fall on me I'll be your throne, your bastion I'm everything you need me to be "When I hold you." I pulled her closer against me. "When you raise me." She peered up at me meekly. "Till eternity our miracle will reach Now that our circle's finally complete" She echoed my words, softly but surely. The curse howling around us faded away. "I once walked an empty road." She smiled gently up at me. "You reached out to hold my hoof Beyond everything I'd ever hoped Now I know you'll see me through" She raised a soft, silky forehoof to caress my cheek. I felt a blush bloom. Just a coincidence. "I once saw an empty dawn You reached out to hold me up The world can't hold me down Now that I know your touch "When I hold you." She tightened her hold on me. "When you raise me." I caressed her mane gently. "Till eternity our miracle will reach Now that our circle's finally complete" We echoed one another. I felt my feet slowly lift off the ground, my body suspended in a weird silvery glow. I guess this was it. I held her tight, stopping her from looking at the curse lifting us up into the air. I kept her gaze on me and me alone. "Don't look down," I whispered. "Just look at me." She nodded, biting her lip. "I will always be with you." I whispered, comfortingly. "Like your moon, constant and true You raise me up, you always do And through the dark I'll see you through." "I once saw an empty dawn You reached out to hold me up The world can't hold me down Now that I know your touch." She nuzzled my cheeks gently. It felt warm and wet. I couldn't tell whether it was her tears or mine. "Even when the world stops turning Just fall on me, fall on me I'll be your dawn, your beginning I'm everything you need me to be." I raised a claw to dry her tears. "I once was lost in darkest night You reached out to hold me tight Now my heart burns ever bright Forever while you're by my side." The white glow around us was blinding. But nothing was more radiant than her bright emerald eyes as they looked up at me. Even as the fierce glare blotted everything else out, I saw her smile up at me. And everything was alright. "I will always be there." I said. "You'll have me there." She smiled, brightly. "Together with you." I pulled her tightly against my chest. "Always with me." She snuggled up against me. "Forever till eternity, together we'll be Now that our circle's finally complete." I felt her heart beat against mine. Her warmth filled me, flooded me. It was like a wellspring of light surging deep inside. I felt strong. I felt like I could do anything. If she couldn't eat, I would feed her. If she couldn't fly, I would carry her. If she couldn't bear the moon, I would bear it for her. Bear it for her. It was like the very light all around us rushed inside me, welling up in my chest. Like a new sun, it erupted up into my mouth before bursting out of my jaws in a jet of furious white heat.   The white hot inferno was blinding. I squinted hard to try and peer around the ferocious jet of silver fire raging through my maw. It rose up like a pillar of light into the sky, up, up, and up! It tore through the thunderhead, ripping it apart into a brilliant halo reflecting its radiance.   And then it struck the black silhouette of the moon.   Bright silver coils coursed across the moon as the bright white fire flooded across its surface. The wave of light pulsed once. And the moon glowed like new. And then it moved. Slowly but surely, the moon moved.   A brilliant blaze erupted from the moon’s pole as the sun peeked over its edge, turning the moon into a flaming diamond ring yet again. The sun crested the moon’s rim, casting its light across the sky. Finally, the sky returned from pitch black to the emeralds and golds of dawn. And the sun rose a second time.   The Tantabus gave a ghostly shriek of pain as it smouldered in the early sunlight. It released its hold on us, as if our touch burned its feeble form. As the sun fully emerged into the sky, the dark spectre burst into wisps of violet light, its screams fading into an echo on the wind.   The jet of fire from my mouth cut short, leaving a warm fireball banking behind my jaws, little white flames licking out from behind my teeth. It was a good thing my jaw was still gaping with the sheer ‘what?’. I had no idea what to do with the flame. I mean, I just slapped the moon into moving with a tongue of white hot fire. What do you do after that? This was Elements of Harmony/Crystal Heart/Rainbow Power level weirdness.   Luna wasn’t doing any better, her expression a perfect reflection of mine. Minus the fiery hot tongue action. That was kinda my thing. She gaped at her moon as it slid lower towards the horizon, wrapped in an envelope of white fire.   I stumbled a little as whatever magic lifted us up into the air finally allowed us back down. We both simply stood there. Or I did, anyway, while holding her in my claws. We stayed like that for a while, soaking in the fresh new sunrise together. Or gaping at it in disbelief. I was too exhausted to know or care.   I finally decided to try and sum up my thoughts as neatly as I could. “Moon how moon what?” I somehow managed to ask around the little white fireball stubbornly burning in my mouth.   The answer flopped her head against my chest, pulling me into a tight snuggle. She laughed. She laughed and she laughed. I have never heard laughter more merry and bright. Seeing, hearing, feeling her happiness filled me with a fulfilling warmth I couldn't even begin to describe. It felt like I could face anything with one claw, as long as she was holding the other in her hoof.   This is probably what it feels like to be Twilight, having her friends around her to lend her their hooves anytime, anywhere. Or maybe Shining, having Cadence by his side to give him her strength when he needed it most. And it felt awesome!   Yeah, she really was the answer. How could ol' Humdrum Spike wow an entire party full of nobles? How could baby dragon Spike move the whole moon? How could plain hayseed Spike feel like he's the King of Dragons? She's why. She's all the reason I could ever need. Together we're a complete magic circle. Together we can do anything.   Suddenly, all of life's questions were answered. Everything was so simple. And awesome! I gave a loud chuckle, joining in her laughter as I raised her high into the air. She gave a loud squeak, giggling happily as she soared. I wanted to hear more of her beautiful laughter, see more of that radiant smile. I spun her through the air, earning me more gleeful squeaks and tickly laughter. Everything, from the fresh morning breeze running through her silky sapphire mane, the softness of her velvety fur beneath my claws and the golden dawn glowing in her bright teal eyes, was truly perfect.   I finally slowed down, lowering her back to the ground. We gazed at each other as we slowly gathered our breaths. Her cheeks suddenly bloomed with the rosiest blush ever. I was definitely not blushing myself. It's just the little white flame still burning in my mouth, that's all. Totally.   We both quickly turned away, suddenly finding our surrounding scenery/hoofsies oh so very interesting. Yeah. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't awkward at all. Nope.   I suddenly felt her soft hoof reach up to cup my cheek again, turning my gaze to follow hers towards the horizon.   Oh.   Uh.   Right, I don’t think the moon’s supposed to float sideways like that. Neither is it supposed to wobble drunkenly. Yeah, like that. And like that. And...well, that’s different, but still totally wrong. Uh. Did I breathe on it the wrong way or what? Is there an instruction manual for driving this thing?   Luna leaned into me, pushing me to the right.   The moon wobbled even further to the left, preparing to do the first ever lunar loop-the-loop. I’m pretty sure there are laws against that, most of them strict universal physics stuff.   We both quickly leaned back to the left. We held our breaths and strained, because, well, it felt like a good idea at the time.     The moon did the sharpest hairpin turn in the history of...well...never! We could practically hear the celestial tyres skidding on the fabrics of the universe.   I was frowning. She was looking a little too gleeful for her own good. I gave a loud huff as I lifted her up into the air experimentally. That earned me a loud squeak from her and a slow but controlled rise from the moon. I quickly put her back down on the floor, hoping it’d do the opposite. The moon didn’t seem to care much for that, the big stubborn idiot. I wasn't sure what to make of the unhappy little huff she gave me either. But at least I found the ‘rise’ lever. I just had to find the ‘lower’ button.   I gave her an appraising gaze, earning me a quizzical head-tilt from her. Well, if raising her raises the moon then the ‘lower’ button might be somewhere else. Feeling adventurous, I tried tweaking one of her ears. The moon’s glow brightened as I turned it up, dimmed as I flicked it down. The other ear proved just as useful, waxing and waning the moon. Wax, wane, wax, wane, crescent, full, crescent, full, smiley-face, not-smiley-face, smiley-face.   Pouty full moon.   Oh, it was her, pouting up at me. It was quite the impressive pout, her cheeks puffed up into a full moon, her head cocked slightly to one side. That proooobably meant enough practice with the ears.   I stopped playing with her ears. She didn't stop pouting up at me. Alright, so the pout meant something else. But what? Try something else?   Her big bright eyes followed my claw before going cross-eyed as I gave her little nose a boop. Her nose scrunched up as she tilted her head with a frown. The moon, meanwhile, turned from its regular white into a cool blue harvest moon. Huh. I booped her again. Another nose scrunch, another colour change, this time to a hot blood red. Before I could boop her again, she suddenly gave a tiny sneeze that made her sound just like a little breezie. She gave a soft little mewl, pawing at her nose with her forehoof. And then the pout returned with a vengeance.   I wished I could figure out what the pout meant. My little wind-up toy tilted her head to one side, then the other, before finally giving a little sigh. She sat back on her haunches with a plop and raised both her forehooves up to either side towards me. She did a great impression of a tomato struggling for self-expression as she looked away to one side. I still caught her stealing expectant glances at me out of the corner of her eyes though.   What does it all mean? Why is she just pouting instead of telling me what the problem is? Why are mares so complicated?   Aren't we supposed to figure out how to get that big mulish rock to come down? I mean, we managed to lower it earlier. I'm sure if we just gave it a little thought we could find out what exactly we were doing right. I mean, we were mostly hugging and snuggling and...   Oh.   I felt my cheeks grow a little warm in the sunlight as I finally realized what she wanted.   Uh.   I gave her a sheepish little grin as I spread my arms for her.   She just gave a frustrated little huff and leapt into my claws.   In my defence, I left my “license to moon” at the palace. Author's Note: So I realize it's not quite obvious what happened there. And that's mainly because the narrator himself has no idea what's going on. (Heck, he doesn't even realize he's in love yet. He thinks it's all his noble dragon code. Luna, on the other hoof, probably does realize what's going on, considering it's her love powering his magic. Hence her joyful laughter.). But the answer is in this video. On a somewhat unrelated note, I wonder what would happen if Spike gave Luna a belly-rub while the spell was active? Or blew her a raspberry on her tummy?