//------------------------------// // Half Day... // Story: Little Memories // by Skijarama //------------------------------// Twilight let out a quiet sigh of relief when, at long last, she stepped through the entrance of Canterlot Castle and into the spacious entrance hall. Rainbow was by her side, and Spike was predictably riding on her back. A few servants hastily went scurrying by as the trio stepped in, slowing down just long enough to bow their heads at Rainbow before scurrying on. Rainbow took a long, deep breath before turning to the nearest guard. “Hey, where’s my mom and aunt?” she asked matter-of-factly. The guard bowed his head in response. “The princesses are presently in the throne room, your highness. They are awaiting your arrival,” he said. Rainbow smiled and lightly clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, bud,” she said, before turning to Twilight and Spike. “C’mon, let’s not keep them waiting.” Twilight nodded and followed after Rainbow through the halls of the castle. She didn’t say anything, though. In fact, she hadn’t said much of anything since they had gotten off the train. Her mind was still occupied with that uneasy, sinking feeling in the pit of her gut, as well as those odd tendrils she had seen in the corner of her eye back on the train. She only remembered seeing those one other time: back when Discord’s statue had been hauled down to Ponyville and she had experienced her first post-amnesia flash.  But that only made her feel even more anxious. Weren’t flashes only supposed to happen when something really important to the future of the timeline was about to happen? Last time had been about Discord, one of their greatest enemies, and from everything she had heard, it sounded like they only happened when they were facing some large-scale threat. That thought sent a cold chill down Twilight’s spine. “Are we in danger?” Before she could think on it any further, the group arrived at the ornate double doors that led to the throne room. The two guards positioned out in front of it nodded their heads at them before stepping aside, allowing the group to pass through unopposed. Twilight briefly scanned the environment, having never actually been in the throne room itself before. It was large and spacious, stretching long ahead of the entrance with a lovely red carpet rolling down the center of the room. A multitude of decorative banners hung from the high ceiling, while multi-colored sunlight streamed in through the stained-glass windows on either side of the chamber. A few places were different in coloration and pattern, as if they had been built only recently, and Twilight briefly recalled the damage the city had suffered during the changeling invasion. At the very back of the long chamber, a raised platform surrounded by well-maintained and gently-flowing fountains held the twin thrones of the two sisters. The alicorns themselves were standing before the throne and were turned to face the new arrivals. Rainbow grinned. “Mom! Aunt Luna!” she called out before flying forward and tackling her adoptive mother in a tight hug. Celestia returned the embrace eagerly, and Luna was quick to sidestep over to them and drape her wing across the two. “It’s good to see you again,” Celestia greeted with a nuzzle before releasing her hold on her daughter. “How was the train ride?” Rainbow drifted back down to the floor, landing next to Twilight as she finished her approach. Rainbow tilted her neck to one side with a few satisfying pops. “Eh. Was longer than flying, but it kept me from getting sweaty and stinky,” she said. “And it gave Twi and I more time to nail down the specifics of the weather plan for the celebration.” “That is good to know,” Luna said with a nod of her own, her eyes briefly drifting over to Twilight. “I presume, then, that everything is in order?” Twilight bowed her head respectfully. “Yes, princess Luna. We got it all sorted out on the way,” she said, remembering the cold demeanor with which Luna had observed her in the past. “I am glad to hear it,” Luna replied, finally drawing Twilight’s attention. Luna’s eyes still carried with them a certain coldness that made Twilight uneasy, but compared to the last time they had crossed paths during Nightmare Night, it was much reduced. Maybe the passage of time had cooled her animosity? “We still on track for the day after tomorrow?” Rainbow asked, her eyes focused on Celestia. “Yes, I believe so,” she replied with a nod. “Thus far nothing has given me any reason to believe that we’ll miss the mark. Everypony is doing their parts to prepare wondrously. In truth, the largest task that remains is the arrangement of the weather, and that can wait until tomorrow.” “We’ll still wanna fill the weather teams in on the plan so they can get ready,” Rainbow pointed out, idly scratching the back of her head. “And we should probably do that sooner rather than later…” “We’ve still got some time before sunset,” Spike pointed out, glancing over towards the window. “We could probably make a few preliminary checks and talk to the weather teams before we have to think about turning in for the night.” Twilight looked back at the dragon and nodded, grateful for the distraction. “I have my checklist! I’m ready to go whenever!” she declared, her wings flapping a couple of times for emphasis. Celestia smiled warmly at that. “I’m sure that you are, but why don’t we get you two settled first? You’re going to be here for a few days, and I’m sure you’d like to know where you’ll be sleeping.” “My room,” Rainbow deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. “Duh.” “I was mostly speaking about Twilight,” Celestia clarified. She turned to Twilight. “I have had your old observatory tower cleaned up and prepared for her to use tonight, should you want it. It is the space you called home before you moved to Ponyville.” Twilight turned back to Celestia and nodded. “I’d appreciate that Celestia, thank you.” Luna hummed to herself at that before nodding at the pegasus of the group. “I shall leave all of you to it. For now, the hour is younger than I would like, and I have a few matters of my own to address with the Lunar Guard for the event. I shall tend to them while you get settled,” she explained before taking a step forward. “Rainbow Dash, I would appreciate it if you could come to my chambers after Tia sets the sun. I would like to conduct our next session in person.” “Sure, no prob. I think I’m gonna show Twilight the tower, and then we can get a move on with our duties for the day. I’ll swing by when we’re done and get caught up with you all. Sound good?” Neither Celestia or Luna had any objections. Celestia leaned forward. “That sounds fine with me, my daughter. I’ll be either here or in my own chambers for much of the day.” “Sweet! See you later, then!” Rainbow shot forward to give Celestia one more hug before spinning around and heading back for the door. “Okay, c’mon, Twi!” Twilight bowed one more time to the two alicorns before turning and cantering to catch up to Rainbow Dash, eager to put her concerns behind her and lose herself in the steady flow of work. The task of checking on all of the various things Rainbow was in charge of for this celebration was somewhat longer and harder than the pegasus had initially been expecting. The last two Summer Sun Celebrations she had played a part in had been hosted in smaller towns or settlements, which meant there was a lot less that would get in the way or influence her capacity to plan the weather around the event. “Thank goodness for Twilight,” she had thought more than once over the course of the afternoon. If it hadn’t been for that dorky alicorn, they might have hit enough roadblocks to completely prevent them from getting ready on time. The standards of Canterlot were sickeningly high, sometimes. Just another reason she preferred living in Ponyville most of the time. Difficulties notwithstanding, they eventually finished off their plans. With that done, Rainbow had shown Twilight and Spike to the observatory. She had watched as Twilight all but freaked out with delight at the old structure, marveling at how it had once been where she lived, and incessantly asking Spike to talk to her about all sorts of little things scattered all over the place. Rainbow had watched the chaos unfold for around five minutes before leaving the little guy and his far-more-skilled claws behind to try and maintain order. After a few short farewells, Rainbow left the observatory and made her way back to the castle proper. Now she was making her way through the halls for the royal suites. She got a good look at the setting sun in the last stretch of her journey. A series of intricate glass windows lined the wall to her right, and she wound up pausing midstep to take in the view. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, and a tiny smile crawled onto her lips. “Heh. I used to see this view all the time,” she thought to herself, remembering one of the few things Canterlot did better than Ponyville. It was hard to beat the view from this high up. She lingered for a time before pressing on, and soon enough she was stepping into the familiar hallway that led to each of the four princesses rooms. Four lunar guards were posted around the room, and each one nodded to her as she entered. She immediately recognized the one in front of Luna’s door as Squall Dreamer. “Luna has been expecting you,” he greeted with a small smile. “Shall I send you in?” “Yup,” came the simple response. Squall turned and opened the door, revealing the room beyond. Rainbow uttered him a quiet thanks before slipping inside. As the door closed behind her. Rainbow looked around and quickly caught sight of Luna standing out on the balcony, her eyes on the distant horizon in thought. Rainbow approached, clearing her throat once she was past the door. Luna turned to her, her face lighting up pleasantly. “Ah, you are here. Good,” Luna greeted, reaching out and drawing Rainbow into an embrace of her own. “How fared the preparations?” “Canterlot sucks to plan for,” Rainbow deadpanned before drawing back and grinning cockily into Luna’s eyes. “But hey, we managed. Twilight’s organizational skills pulled through for me.” Luna hummed, glancing past Rainbow towards where the observatory was. “I see.” “Are you still not happy with her?” Rainbow asked, her smile replaced instantly with a disapproving frown. “Luna, c’mon. It’s been two freaking years.” Luna sighed and slowly settled down onto her haunches. “I know Rainbow Dash. I have done my best to reign in my concerns about her, and time has served to help reduce them,” she offered up in apology before looking up at the sky. “But it is hard for me to set them aside. It is a personal shortcoming of my own, I freely admit. One I still labor to overcome.” Rainbow shook her head in disappointment before settling down by Luna’s side. “Meh. Just keep a lid on it going forward, okay?” she asked, her ears drooping. “I know it’s been a while, but last time you let it show around Twilight, it really upset her. It bothered her for weeks, and it took me a lot of effort to convince her that it wasn’t her fault.” Luna flinched, some of the intensity fleeing her eyes. “I… see. I apologize. I did not know that my treatment had such an effect…” Rainbow snorted but did not otherwise press the matter. The two fell into thoughtful silence for a time, and Rainbow allowed her thoughts to wander in the lapse in conversation. Her eyes eventually settled on the distant light of the sun, slowly waning as it fell towards the horizon.  Luna suddenly cleared her throat. “Tell me, my niece,” she began, her tone of voice making it clear she was beginning their session. “How have things been since last we spoke in your dreams?” Rainbow hummed, briefly recounting the events in her mind. “They’ve been good, I think.” “Good. And your fears?” Luna continued, tilting her head. “Of Chrysalis and Discord, of the pains you’ve suffered. How do they weigh on you now?” Rainbow hesitated for a few seconds before offering her answer. “Well… I feel a lot better now than I did before Cadance’s wedding,” she began, rubbing the back of her head. “I kinda did the same thing with Chrysalis that you had me do with Discord. Ya know, letting myself feel powerful over them or whatever.” “You sought closure and obtained it,” Luna surmised slowly. “Very good, that is a powerful step in the healing process.” Rainbow nodded along. “I guess so… It’s one less mental health issue I gotta juggle, at least,” she lowered her head and rested her chin on her hooves. “...I still get cold whenever I think about what happened to Twilight back then, though… and about what Chrysalis did to me.” “You still bare the scars of that struggle,” Luna reminded her quietly, gesturing to the scar on the pegasus’ hoof. “And it was a terrible event you suffered through. But you have risen above it now. You are past it, and you are stronger for the experience.” Rainbow smiled and flicked her eyes up to meet her aunt’s. “Yeah, I know. It’s a good feeling.” Luna smiled and gingerly draped her wing over Rainbow’s back. “So, then, my niece… I must now ask you a question.” Rainbow hesitated. Something about the way Luna had said that made her feel uneasy. She turned to face Luna more directly. “Uh, okay. What is it?” she asked tentatively. Luna was quiet for a moment. “...When we first began our dream therapy sessions, the purpose was to root out the source of your PTSD and help you overcome it. The hope was that, with my aid, you would be free of the horrible flashbacks that would torment you anytime you felt the tingle of magic upon your skin.” “Yeah, I remember,” Rainbow said, her brow furrowing. “But that’s not a question. Cut to act three and just say it.” Luna looked down for a moment, reluctance clearly written on her face. “Rainbow Dash… Neither of us can be entirely certain of the progress we have made in our primary objective without a test. And so, I am asking your permission to use my magic on you and see your response.” Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat, her blood running cold in her veins. She sat upright, shrugging off the comforting wing and staring directly into Luna’s hesitant eyes. “...You serious?” she asked after a moment, quiet. “I mean, I get what you’re saying, but… do we have to?” Luna shook her head. “No, Rainbow. As I said, I will not use my magic on you without your permission. I will not cause you any undue harm if I have any say in the matter, but I cannot be sure of the distance we still have to travel if I cannot see where we are,” she explained before craning her neck to be closer to Rainbow’s eyes level. “I will not hold it against you at all if you refuse. This is your therapy, and I will force nothing upon you.” Rainbow fell silent, weighing the options. On the one hoof, she was not in any mood to willfully subject herself to the flashbacks, especially ever since they changed from the day of her parent’s death to the moments she spent as Chrysalis’ personal torture victim. It was always a horrifying experience to go through, and every fiber of her being was screaming at her to just say no and be done with it.  But then there was that small, rational part of her brain that Twilight had helped nurture since they were foals. The part that asked questions, the part that critically observed everything in front of her, the part that considered every option aside from ‘go in and kick butt because awesome.’ And that part of her brain was in agreement with Luna. If she was free of her flashbacks, she didn’t want to spend any time fearing them when they weren’t there. And if she wasn’t free of them… Well, she was better prepared to cope with whatever she saw, now. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. “Okay. You have my permission. Do it,” she said, closing her eyes and bracing herself. Luna leaned down to nuzzle her on the head in reassurance. “Thank you, my niece. This will not be long, I promise you,” she whispered before leaning back. Rainbow’s spine tingled when she heard the sound of Luna’s horn sparking to life. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she waited for the inevitable distortion of reality as sensations from a long time ago overwrote everything else. She felt the magic on her skin, encasing her entire body in a telekinetic aura. She sucked in a breath involuntarily, and her eyes snapped open. The world was trembling and rippling as if bathed in intense heatwaves. She could feel phantom sensations dancing along her ribs and through her hoof, and a cold sweat was quickly beginning to build up under her fur. But to her shock… that was the extent of it. It was still incredibly unpleasant, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe with every second that passed, but she was still there. She was still in the present, in the moment, and wholly in control of her faculties. After a few more seconds, the spell ended. Rainbow Dash took in a huge gasp of breath, slumping sideways into Luna with her entire body shivering uncontrollably. The alicorn was quick to wrap her up in her wings and hooves, holding her close and surrounding her in warmth. “It’s over now, Rainbow,” Luna whispered to her. “It’s over. You’re safe.” Rainbow’s heavy breathing steadily began to calm down, and the deathly chill that had flooded her veins slowly but surely began to retreat, allowing the warmth to return. Eventually, she let out a sigh of relief and sat upright. Luna kept a hoof on her shoulder, her eyes shimmering with concern and regret. “Are you well? The reaction was not nearly as intense outwardly, but I know all too well that some terrors are more powerful in the mind than the body,” she asked, her own voice shaking. Rainbow sucked in another lungful of air before nodding her head. “Y-yeah. I’m okay. A little shaky, b-but okay,” she replied honestly.  “So… it was better?” Rainbow slowly looked up at the sky, a tiny smile appearing on her face. “Heh. It was still terrible and I never wanna do that again. But…” her smile grew, and she gave Luna a reassuring look. “Yeah. Much better. I didn’t get sucked away to relive some past event or anything. I just… freaked out a little.” The sheer relief on Luna’s face on hearing that was enough to make Rainbow laugh. In but a moment the two had wrapped each other up in a warm, loving embrace. Luna buried her face into Rainbow’s mane and let out a shaky laugh of her own. “I am glad… so glad…” she whispered. Rainbow gave her a firm squeeze. “So am I… thank you, Luna. Thank you so freaking much,” she whispered before leaning back. “It’s not perfect, and I guess I still got a ways to go, but you got me this far. I can’t thank you enough.” Luna chuckled quietly. “You are very welcome, my niece, but it is I who must thank you for the chance to do something good for the mare who helped me turn my life around,” she replied before looking out at the horizon. “Helping you cope with your past traumas these past two years has, in many ways, helped me overcome the shadows that still haunt me from my past… and for that opportunity, I shall be eternally grateful.” Rainbow Dash smiled and pat Luna affectionately on the back before looking out at the distant horizon. Her brow furrowed after a moment. “Hm. It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be raising the moon now?” she asked. Luna nodded. “Yes, I should,” she admitted before rising to her hooves and igniting her horn. On the horizon, the fading orange glow of the sun began to vanish even faster as the dark blue shade of the night rose to take its place. Rainbow watched as the moon rose, full and bright. Its pale glow washed over Equestria, and soon it would be the sole source of celestial light over the world as the sun inched ever closer to its final moments. Luna’s horn eventually went dim, but her muzzle twisted into a confused frown. “That is strange…” she muttered under her breath. Rainbow tilted her head. “Huh? What is it?” “Normally Tia and I are in perfect time with the sun and the moon,” Luna explained, scrutinizing the horizon. “By the time I end my spell of raising the moon, the sun has already set, ensuring minimal overlap. But now… look. The sun isn’t moving at all.” “What?” Rainbow asked, bewildered. She leaned out over the edge of the rail to try and get a better look. Sure enough, the sun had stopped its descent, coming to a rest that looked like mere inches above the horizon, effectively splitting the sky into both day and night at once. Rainbow frowned. “That’s… weird.” As she said those words, something else caught her attention. Movement down below. Now on alert, Rainbow looked down and saw something quite unexpected. A lone cloud, dark in coloration, with blue spikes sticking out of it at haphazard angles. It was drifting lazily through the air a few dozen yards beneath the balcony, and looked to be about the size of four pegasi lumped together, “And that’s even weirder,” she said, pointing it out. Luna turned to look and raised an eyebrow. “A cloud with… spikes?” she questioned, baffled. “I’ll take care of it,” Rainbow decided simply before unfurling her wings and lifting up into the air. “You go find mom and find out what’s up with the sun.” Luna nodded, unfurling her own wings. “Very well. Head for Celestia’s room when you are done with that renegade. With any luck- Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow couldn’t hear her. Her eyes had gone wide and unfocused, white tendrils licking at the edges of her vision. It was getting harder and harder for her to breath, and her entire body felt like it was getting heavy. “Wha… n-no, no, not now…” she gasped before her hooves flew up to cover her eyes. The last thing she heard through the ringing in her ears and the sound of her heart pounding in her chest was Luna crying out her name. Her vision was flooded with white. The sky was split into both day and night, and black vines covered the entirety of Ponyville. They were spreading fast, terrorizing the locals and causing a lot of damage to the architecture. The streets were in absolute chaos as ponies ran back and forth to escape the rampaging plants. Rainbow Dash surveyed the scene with an irritated glare, her nostrils flaring. “Of all the… guh!” she growled before spying one of the odd-looking Everfree clouds flying by at high speeds. Grumbling, she kicked off from her position on a normal cloud and gave chase. “Oh no you don’t!” Soon enough, she zipped into place in front of it, and the cloud actually stopped as if it could see her. Rainbow was briefly taken aback by this, but was quick to compose herself. She glared at the cloud angrily. “This is Ponyville territory. And we aren’t due for rain until after the Summer Sun Celebration!” She thumped her hooves together and reared back to charge. “You Everfree clouds need to just head on back to where you belong!” she ordered before flying forwards, hooves outstretched. She would carry this one back out into the woods and come back for the rest. She had to take care of the sky before she could help her friends on the ground- Why was she suddenly falling? Rainbow let out an alarmed cry as the cloud ended her momentum with ease, leaving her caught up in its fluffy black core for a second. Then, almost as if the darned thing had a sense of comedic timing, it dropped her like a sack of rocks for the ground. She recovered quickly, flaring out her wings and arcing up into the air until she was at the cloud’s height again. “Gonna make me do this the hard way, huh?” she seethed through clenched teeth. The cloud’s answer was to fire off a bolt of lightning at her. Rainbow yelped, barely ducking to one side and avoiding the bolt. Then another, and another. More and more clouds were coming to their comrade’s aid, each one bombarding her with bolt after bolt of lightning. “Jeez, are these things intelligent or something?!” Rainbow thought. “Hey!” she shouted at them in protest. One of the bolts caught her in the chest. The vision shattered at the same time that Rainbow’s side collided with the roof below Luna’s balcony. White-hot pain erupted at the base of her wing, on impact. A loud scream of pain tore itself past her lips as her vision swam. A few seconds passed before she was able to think through the pain, her vision focusing. She looked around, trying to assess the situation. The cloud she had been about to chase was gone, but the sky remained the same, still split evenly between day and night. “Rainbow Dash!” Luna’s voice cried out from above, drawing her attention. The lunar alicorn was hovering past her balcony, her eyes wide with shock and concern. “Are you alright?!” Rainbow groaned and forced herself to her hooves, already perfectly aware of the fact that her wing was out of commission. She winced before speaking. “Y-yeah, I’m alright. My wing’s busted, though. I can’t fly back up to you!” Luna began her descent. “What happened to you?! Was it a flash?” “Yeah, and not a fun one! We need to find mom and check on Ponyville!” Rainbow called back up to her before rubbing a hoof into her temple in an attempt to quell her headache. She then looked back up to Luna to say something else, but the words caught in her throat. Vines. The same black vines that she had seen in her flash were reaching out to Luna from behind her, having just burrowed out of the castle wall. Rainbow’s pupils dilated. “LUNA! LOOK OUT!” she shouted, pointing. Too late. Luna turned towards the vines just in time for the first one to snap out and coil around her throat. She gasped and thrashed as more and more came in, binding her hooves and wings, immobilizing her completely. “LUNA!” Rainbow screamed, instinctively flaring out her wings. More pain flared up, forcing her to remain grounded and watch as her adoptive aunt kicked and struggled in her bonds. The alicorn snarled, her horn starting to light up with magic. She fired a pristine beam of dark blue magic, severing one of the vines around her neck. She sucked in a breath as her throat was released before turning her attention to the next one to approach. It acted first. Before Luna realized what was happening, the top of the vine split open like an uncurling spider. A series of appendages reached out from the sides that looked distinctly like sharp fingers. A rugged tear sat in the middle, a sickly blue gas leaking out of it.  Before Luna could unleash her spell, the strange vine-hand reached out and grabbed onto her face. Her panicked scream was muffled as the light on her own winked out. More of the blue gas leaked out of the gaps between Luna’s face and the vine. Rainbow’s blood turned to ice when Luna’s attempts to free herself rapidly weakened before she fell entirely limp in the vine’s grasp. “No, NO NO!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “GUARDS!! GUARDS, HELP!” But it was no use. She was too far away to be heard. All she could do was watch from her place on the roof as the vines hauled her unconscious aunt away until she disappeared from sight.