//------------------------------// // The dream arc II: freedom and blame // Story: The love of chaos and harmony or the romantic adventures of the O&O gang // by Shadowlight Wanderer //------------------------------// Chapter 10 Where Luna performs sleep-healing session... All of the sudden, Luna's horn started to play a melody, glimmering in a faint indigo glow Discord exchanged an amused look with Celestia. Luna get up, glaring at them with a warning look "Not a single word..." she hissed " This is a dream alert. I am needed in a dream realm." "This is hilarious. Can't believe that I didn't think of that "tooting horn" earlier. Maybe we should adjust melody a little " Discord rubbed his hands, smiling. "This is interesting. I had no idea that you can detect nightmares if you are awake yourself." Celestia questioned her sister. "Only if they are powerful enough..." Luna stood straight, eyes focused with concentration. " I am going to take a shortcut and dream-jump. Catch me when I fall !" Her horn glowed and after a few seconds her eyes rolled in their sockets and she fell without any tension. Discord and Celestia caught her and put her on the ground. Discord glared at moon princess "Dear Faust " he cringed " she still snores ?!!!" Celestia massaged her head with her hoof "Daily meeting room is under her bedroom and sometimes I have to use my Royal Canterlot Voice to break through this roar ! Somepony would think that the princess of the night would be more graceful in her sleep. Twilight states we must got her a sleepover with Starlight Glimmer to see who is louder. So...are we watching over here, till she wakes ?" Discord shrugged "I know you are not nocturnal creature, you are tired. I think I have enough sleep for a few decades, so I may as well stay here and watch over her". ************************ Luna floated alone in a dark void "Enter the Infinite Self. Forward...launch !!!" the princess thought the command A point of light appeared in the darkness and Luna was quickly sucked into it, dashing with incredible speed. Then she recognized all the familiar galaxies of Infinite Self, the collective consciousness of the entire world. It was a cosmic, endless void in a mixed shades of many colours but mainly the dark ones with the occasional specks of light. The galaxies were groups of ponies, and other creatures from Equestria, maybe cities or provinces, Luna couldn't really tell. Inside the galaxies, the stars were swirling around in the forms of constellations. The stars were the dreams and each and every one glowed in another hue, forming a glimmering, multicolour structures looking like arcs or bridges in the infinite void. Some were in groups and some were alone. "All right, let's track you down..." Luna muttered, narrowing her eyes and putting her tongue slightly out with her lips closed in determination. The speed increased even more as the princess fell (or raised) through the constellations, manoeuvring with insane precision between dreamscapes. Right, left, left, straight, turn around, over the arc... Luna felt the nausea. As a ruler of the dream world, she could shape Infinite Self in the desired form of an entrance compartment. She preferred a passage with a door like portals to dreams. But using that form of entrance would took much longer time to locate the nightmare, and that was her top priority right now. Dream-jumping was making things quicker, but it also meant being pulled by the source of the dream through the most raw form of the dream world with the speed above the sound barrier, that would be damaging in the waking world. Finally, she spotted the purple orb in the distance. She knew that was the one. She opened up her hooves and the orb entered her body. Then she shivered, the feeling she always felt while connecting with the dreamscape. Reality literally shot up from her body, forming the world around her and covering her like a lead cloak She stumbled a little as her body retrieved its actual weight (well, as actual as it can be in the dream) but quickly returned to balance. And then she nearly died from a heart attack when a giant claw crushed the earth a meter from her "Put me down !" half scream, half sob came from above. Luna looked up and her jaw dropped. She was right under the full grown dragon, with a body almost as big as castle, sharp green spines, and a purple scales in the size of small houses. In the one claw he was squeezing a familiar silhouette. A white unicorn with a royal purple mane Rarity. "Do you see what have you done to me ?" the dragon said in a booming, hollow voice " Without you, there is nothing to hold me back. To becoming like this. Are you happy for rejecting me now ??!!! Happy that I turned out to be what everypony thought: just a monster in disguise. All because of your cold heart !!!!" "No..."the unicorn's cheeks were almost black from the dried tears mixed up with mascara and her usually perfect mane was a mess "...I didn't know...I never thought...I am so so sorry, Spike..." Luna stared at the scene, only two questions in her mind "What in Tartarus happened to make Rarity dream about Spike like this ?" and "What kind of an idiot dreams on the mascara and make up ?" Setting the doubts aside, Luna flew higher and shouted "I, the princess of the night and lady of dreams, order you nightmare to leave this mare alone !!! Be gone !!!" She blasted the dragon with a stream of magic, careful not to harm Rarity. The beast version of Spike roared and disappeared. Rarity screamed when she started to fall but Luna swiftly caught her after a few seconds "Th-thank you princess !" Rarity said with gratitude. "Fear not, dear Rarity" princess said landing and putting the unicorn on the ground " You are now safe. But something tells me that we must have a conversation about what I just saw." "Yes, I suppose that I owe you some explanation your highness" Rarity cleaned her cheeks. "I am here to listen and help you" Luna looked around at the fields of the grey and red grass, sick in its appearance " But first maybe leave your dreamscape until I stabilise your psyche." Luna raised a hoof and then stopped and groaned "Whatever is the matter princess ?" asked Rarity with concern. "You know, in the dream realm I am as powerful as Discord and for the first time I really hate that I don't have this whole...fingers, to snap something out" she sighed "But nopony is perfect." A shining portal appeared in the air Luna gestured at Rarity "Come on, pass through" Rarity slowly entered the portal and screamed when she found herself in the endless cosmic void "Oh my Celestia, what is THIS ??!!!" "Actually..." Luna pointed out from behind, a sassy smile on her muzzle " my sister has no power here. This is zona de Luna. So call me instead, fair Rarity. And answering your question, this is a realm between dreams and reality. One name you may have for it is Eternity, the other Aether or perhaps Void of Lost Desires or the Library of Souls. I prefer to call it Infinite Self. Now hold on, it will be a bit dizzy". The entire space swirled around them and then the corridor with hundreds of doors appeared, floating in the cosmic vacuum. "There, that shall do it." Luna said. She trotted to the black obsidian door with a silver moon carved within the stone. "Come on, this is my personal dimension. Here we will be able to talk in peace before we wake up" Behind the door, there was a hotel spa overlooking at the ocean. The shimmer of the waves gently smoothed the atmosphere and the burning torches were giving enough light to make the marble patio with two sofas and a table with some grapes on it . "Oh, this is simply marvellous !" Rarity sighed, taking in the amazing scenery. "Thank you " Luna nodded lightly " I created it especially for your needs. I want you to feel comfortable for this conversation. Let's lay down for a while. " They both rested comfortably on a soft sofas. With a small gesture of Luna's hoof, the beauty necessities started to fly through the air and their backs were massaged by the pair of invisible hands. They both moaned in pleasure as the tension from the nightmare started to vanish. "So..." Luna started after a few minutes "What happened between you and Spike ? I could clearly see that it was something big and you were really concerned, otherwise you wouldn't be dreaming about Spike as a monster." "Spike and I...we had a little...argument during morning breakfast. In one moment I wanted to tell him about my gratitude for being such a good and supportive friend...but then he became furious...positively scary...I never heard him so angry ! He told me that I was blind and he....he told me that he loved me. And...then he left...and I don't even know what should I do differently to make things good again. Whatever shall I do ???!!!" the unicorn raised her hoof over her head in a dramatic gesture, sobbing quietly. Luna tapped her chin with her hoof, thinking profoundly. "I see. Well, I already have some advice but first allow me to get a better understanding of the present situation. Allow me..." She leaned over to Rarity and pressed her hooves on both sides of unicorn's head. "Princess...what is the meaning of this ?" fashionista shivered, a bit uncomfortable with the position. "Don't worry, it won't hurt. Me and my sister have telepathic abilities. I believe that if I see the entire situation myself, I will be a better assistance. You don't need to worry about as spying on your thoughts either. That form of mind reading works only through physical contact."Luna closed her eyes and inhaled deeply "Now try to concentrate on what Spike said to you, so I won't have to force it to come out." Rarity hesitantly thought back to her argument with Spike and flinched when suddenly the memory became unnaturally bright and sharp, Spike's voice echoing in her mind. "You think that I like you only because you are beautiful ?!!!! I am not some random stallion chasing with a mare with a nice flank. Rarity, you are the most stunning and beautiful pony I know and I would even risk saying that you are the prettiest in all of Equestria. But saying there is so much more to you and I learned throughout the years how gorgeous is your inner beauty. Your intelligence, determination, resilience, generosity. Telling me that I can't see that... this is CRUELTY!!! Before judging me and my feelings, maybe you should realize what those feelings really are. You have no idea... How much do you mean to me...What would I do to protect you...What would I do not too loose you. For me... or for your own good... Even when you lived your own dreams, the ones that was bad for me...You were the part of my memories I reached for in my darkest hour. I loved you even beyond this world..." "I've heard enough" Luna severed the mental connection and Rarity blinked a few times after a burning flash of her memory died down. Luna stared on the ocean for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and turning to face Rarity "Considering how Spike is feeling towards you, the choice of your words was rather unfortunate. I actually can understand why Spike got so angry." "But what exactly went wrong ?" "You two were dancing around the state of your relationship, whatever it actually is, for years now. And from what I saw and heard, each side had a different assumption on each other's feelings. Rarity, are you afraid of Spike taking advantage of you ?" "Goodness no !" the unicorn huffed again " I know him well, he is too sweet and caring to do something so horrid. It's just...until yesterday I didn't actually realize how deep his feelings run." Luna sighed , turning to let the magic massage her another side "Exactly. False perception. And that leads me to the next point. Through all this time, you were ignorant about Spike's love ?" Rarity shifted on the sofa "Well, I did realize he had this crush going on for years, but I just didn't..." She stopped noticing intense look the princess of the night was giving her "Rarity, I don't want to scold you, but all you need is a bit of honesty. No more fooling around, no lies. I were overseeing equestrian dreams for a long time now and though you may not realize it, I was visiting you when you were filly, chasing away the nightmares of you being abandoned by your parents..." Rarity stared at Luna in awe and fright, her eyes becoming two big spheres of blue. "Your parents were travelling a lot "the alicorn continued" and you were afraid that it was because you were not enough. So now you are hungry for affection, especially from the ones close to you. Spike admires you in many ways and he offered help anytime and anywhere. You were afraid what will happen if you move on with it. You liked this constant praise and took advantage of him, didn't you ?" Rarity bit her lip and blushed in embarrassment. But suddenly, the look in her eyes become sharp when she faced Luna with her face held high. "Yes ! When you put it like that...my approach wasn't the best. And I am...really sorry for that. Truly, I am. But it would be delightful if we figured out how to make it right, hmm ?" unicorn almost growled the last part. Luna's eyebrow rise as she heard unicorn's outburst. She gestured towards the sky and aurora borealis lit up across the stars. "Dreams are the mirror of the soul and very few can falsify them. I can assure you that Spike has a pure heart and his feelings for you are true." The northern lights flashed the scenes of Spike dreams, in which he protected Rarity from various beasts, walked by her side in the park, kissed her at the altar... Rarity felt her lips form a smile as she watched the scenes with the tears in her eyes "Know the difference Rarity. Spike doesn't just have a crush on you or fancies your physical appearance, like many stallions you met. He loves you. And this is something that one must be really careful with. True loyalty of romantic love can create beauty in almost every place but can also can turn into a weapon of terrible destruction, especially towards the one who is carrying it." Luna looked at the unicorn, scanning her with her midnight blue eyes. Princess put her hoof under Rarity's chin and gently lifted her head up, so the two were looking each other in the eyes. "As every living creature in this word you two have a choice where to go with your own destinies." Luna whispered " But the most important part is considering what will bring you the happiness. Both you and Spike made mistakes. Spike was too caught up in his fantasies and afraid of you rejecting him to explain his feelings, which lead you to create the false image of him. You shouldn't think about your deeds as the blame though. A strong relationship often has a foundation on mistakes and errors. Because without the wrong choices, we wouldn't learn to make the right ones. You are ready to make amends and let the truth in your heart, I can see it in you. And I am pretty sure that Spike will try to make things right too. So when the time comes, don't run away. You both need a time to talk about what you feel towards each other. I know that this is much and it can be terrifying, but it must be done if your hearts want to have peace. Do you know already what you are going to say to him ?" Rarity's mouth opened, closed and opened again "I think I knew but after tonight, I don't think I am sure anymore..." Luna twisted her head "If I recall correctly, you had some doubts..." "It is just, he is so young..." "Actually, all the problems can be solved if you are stubborn enough. Spike was aware that by the time he will be an adult by dragon standards, you will be either old or...dead. So he asked me and Tia to make his body age to match yours. He was willing to sacrifice a part of his lifespan to be with you." Rarity felt the tears once again filling her eyes "Spikey..." she whispered. "We said no, because in that time, we didn't know the method to do it and it was a really big decision, that could be carried on only if you loved Spike back. But we discovered that there is indeed a spell that can force cells to decay to some point. And if that fails, Discord can always do Spike a favour with...emm, a snap. So you see, it can all be solved. The only question is your heart". Luna raised up, stretching herself like a cat. "I will leave you now Rarity, to think about our conversation. You will awake automatically after I leave." Rarity nodded, thinking intensely, before saying "Thank you, I indeed had a lot to think about and I am more than willing to make things right. But if I may ask..." Luna froze with one hoof on the black door "Yes ?" Rarity flipped her mane and asked "Have you ever been in love, princess ?" In that moment, Rarity could swear that all the shadows on the patio became...longer, reaching for Luna, as the night princess looked at pretty unicorn with a sad smile and the eyes in which the unicorn could see the glimpse of the centuries old creature locked in a body of young and beautiful alicorn. "Funny you mention that. I had a debate with Discord and my sister about love and immortality before I visited you...and yes, there was a time when I was younger when my heart was stolen. But this is a story for another time...another night..." The playful sparks returned to Luna's eyes, when she said "Try to figure out your feelings rather quickly, because somepony closer than you think may enter this battlefield of love, to be your rival" she added with a wink, before disappearing behind the door. Rarity blinked in surprise. "A...a rival ?!" she muttered before disappearing. ************************* Luna inhaled deeply when her soul re-entered her body. She sat straight to meet the gaze of Discord, who was sitting nearby, smoking a pipe and playing with the smoke. "Done" Luna smiled. "Should I teleport to your usual after-treatment meeting ? Lunar Congress ?" Discord asked. Luna brushed her mane "Yep, I can't wait to gossip about Celestia and Usagi with my cat counterpart. Loud should provide some music and Miss Lovegood offered to make some cookies...I hope this time edible..." "Before you go, can you tell me if it was a success ?" Discord looked at Luna curiously. "I think Rarity got it" Luna got up. Draconequus twirled his beard, grinning widely "This is really going to be interesting. The conclusion is closer than ever."