Whatever It Takes, I Love You

by Tatsurou


40% Cooler

7. 40% Cooler

Celestia walked up to the Vault as she set the sun. "What am I doing?" she mumbled to herself. "Am I really going to lsiten to a word that...monster has to say? Really, claiming he made the Elements? Preposterous!" She stood before the vault. "And yet here I am...checking to see if the rest of his words were true. Still, it doesn't pay to take chances." Inserting her horn into the lock, she opened the door. Levitating the chest within, she carefully eased it open. What she saw within nearly made her drop the chest.

All six Elements were lined up in the chest as they were supposed to be...but the Element of Loyalty had gone completely gray! The Element of Magic was the same, as was Generosity. The power had left them completely! Kindness and Honesty still had most of their power, but they were starting to fade. Laughter only had a spark of color at its center. "It can't be..." Celestia barely whispered.

"Sister, is something wrong?"

Celestia quickly snapped the chest shut. "Of course not, Luna. Everything's fine, all things considered." The last thing she needed right now was Luna trying to solve this riddle. It could prove even more disastorous then it already was.

"Why were you examining the Elements?" Luna asked, confused.

Celestia kept a cool head...barely. "I had thought to use the Element of Loyalty to scry Rainbow Dash's condition," she lied blandly.

Luna's eyes widened. "Is that possible?"

"Obviously not, since it didn't work." Celestia winced internally at having to lie to her own sister...but Luna touched the dreams of every pony in Equestria. She couldn't risk this leaking out until she knew how to deal with it. She needed to find someway to get Luna to leave so she could finish her examination of the Elements.

Luna's eyes brightened. "I can go check on her for you, sister! I must fly out to guide the moon anyway, and then you need not tire yourself. I know you are concerned."

Celestia smiled. "Thank you Luna, that's very kind of you."

"I worry for them, too, sister." Spreading her wings, Luna took flight.

Celestia turned back to the chest, opening it to examine the Elements once more, putting the entire conversation from her mind for the moment.

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Rainbow Dash sat on her bed in her cloud house. She was lucky she could still walk on clouds without her wings. She had settled Scootaloo in easily enough as well, but she was ahving trouble sleeping. Without her wings, she just couldn't seem to get comfortable. She stared up at the chest, settled on her shelf. She couldn't even touch it to change its position, not until her wings were fully healed.

She heard something settle behind her. "Trouble sleeping, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow turned around. "Hey, Luna." She smiled. "Yeah, I just can't seem to get comfortable. I mean, I've had my wings all my life, and now that they're gone...well..." She sighed. "It feels wierd."

Luna smiled. "That is quite the understatement, I'm sure." She stood next to the bed, smiling at Rainbow. "But it's not just physical discomfort that disturbs you, is it?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No, it's not just that. Without my wings, I feel like I've been...diminished. Knowing I'll get them back, I feel...weak." She glowered up at the chest. "I hate feeling weak."

Luna nodded. "Because of what Slick Shades did to you?"

Rainbow nodded. She'd talked with Luna about that event from her foalhood. "He acted like he'd be my friend and help me...told me he'd help me become strong and fast to be a Wonderbolt, and I followed him...and then he..." She shuddered.

"Rainbow, you were just a filly. You had no chance against a full grown stallion."

"I know that, Luna. But...it was so easy for him. I couldn't fight at all. If...if Fluttershy hadn't brought her father, I would have been..."

Luna leaned her horn against Rainbow's forehead. They stayed that way for some time. "...and that's why you push yourself so hard, above and beyond what's needed to fulfill your dreams."

Rainbow nodded. "That's why I've always tried to be strong. ...that's why I hate to lose..."

"And that's why it's so hard to ask for help when you really need it? And accept it when it is offered?"

Rainbow winced. "I...I guess so, yeah. I...don't want anyone to see me as weak."

Luna smiled at Rainbow, then stepped back. There was a aint glow of magic, and then she stood there...in the form she had been in when she was first purged of Nightmare Moon.

Rainbow stared. "L-luna?"

Luna smiled shyly. "Both my sister and I understand well what you mean, about the need to appear strong. We have crafted forms from our magic to appear before our subjects as, safe within our full power. But...our true form is very much like that of any other pony. We have to be strong, for everyone's sake. But Rainbow..." Luna stepped up onto the bed, sitting in front of Rainbow. "That does not mean we don't accept help when we need it...or want it." She opened her wings and wrapped them around Rainbow, lightly brushing the tips of her feathers against Rainbow's flight muscles where her wings would have been.

Rainbow shuddered at the touch. It felt...strange. Exciting, thrilling, so good...she didn't understand. But at the same time, thoughts and emotions she'd long pushed aside began to surface. "L-luna..."

"Please, Rainbow Dash," Luna whispered. "Won't you let me be there for you?"

Rainbow could feel her breath coming in shallow gasps. A deep yearning inside her awoke, the aching loneliness she'd hidden away, hidden from out of fear, a fear she'd never have admitted to anyone before now...she stared helplessly into Luna's eyes. "Luna...I'm scared..."

Luna smiled at her. "You don't have to be," she whispered back. She leaned in.

As their lips touched, Rainbow's senses realed, losing herself in the kiss. All the fear inside faded away as she felt Luna's warmth, her kindness...her love. Signs she hadn't really payed attention to began to make sense. Luna had been visiting her dreams far more often than would really be considered normal for just dispersing nightmares. All their talks, all their time together...how could she not have seen.

As they parted, Rainbow struggled to find something to say, but all that came out was, "...so cool..."

Luna giggled. "The cool has been doubled," she whispered back, smiling, relief flooding her that she had been accepted.

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As the moon set, Celestia prepared to raise the sun...and paused. Luna wasn't in Canterlot. "Where is she? She's always returned before dawn." She began to pace. "Did...did something happen to her? Wait, I'm being silly. Maybe she just got...distracted by something. She does know so little of the modern world after all. ...even so..." Sitting down, she crafted a quick order to the Wonderbolts to seek out her sister...discretely. Remembering her conversation, she added that she was last seen heading for Ponyville.

--------------

Scootaloo woke up as the sunlight touched her eyes. She blinked for a bit, then got up and stretched. "Rainbow?" she asked. She wasn't surprised that her big sister wasn't up yet. Twilight had said Rainbow would probably sleep late. Walking through the house, Scoot saw that most of the lights were out. Coming to Rainbow's door, she slowly pushed it open a crack. "Rain-" she began, then froze. That wasn't Rainbow Dash on the bed.

Scootaloo stuck her head in quietly, examining the room carefully. Rainbow Dash was curled up on the bed, wrapped in the wing of a stranger...alicorn? Royal regalia was discarded about the room, and it had the symbol of the moon on it. Putting things together, Scootaloo closed the door with a smile.

Sweetie Belle had said that Rarity looked very different before she put on her makeup each morning. So that must be what Luna looked like without her morning makeup. Who knew? Then Scootaloo paused. Her big sister...and the princess? She couldn't help but chuckle. She wouldn't have seen it coming...but the blue against deeper blue had an...aesthetic appeal as they were curled up together. And besides that, Rainbow had looked happy as she slept, and so did Luna. Scoot certainly wasn't going to judge.

There was a knock on the door. Scootaloo raced over and opened it. "Hello-Spitfire?"

Spifire smiled down at Scootaloo. "Heya, kid. Is Rainbow up yet?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "Not yet."

Spitfire frowned. "I don't want to wake her...but I need to ask her something. It's important, on order of Celestia."

"You could ask me," Scoot piped up. "I might know."

Spitfire glanced down at the filly. "Alright, I suppose. But not a word to anyone, okay? No one except Rainbow is to hear about this."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Spitfire smirked. Then she leaned down. "Princess Luna didn't come back to Canterlot this morning, so I'm trying to find out where she is."

"Oh, she's here!" Scootaloo said, then winced.

"Here? What's she doing here?"

Thinking quickly, Scootaloo spun a story she hoped would hold up. "Well, see, Luna was worried about Rainbow Dash, what with her not having her wings for a month, so she decided she'd hang around for a few days until Rainbow was used to functioning as an Earth Pony. TO help her out. As a friend." She grinned, inwardly cursing herself at how many holes the story had.

Spitfire glanced down at her, quirking an eyebrow up. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. I can certainly report that to Celestia." Spitfire spread her wings. Glancing over, however, she smirked. "You might want to let your big sis know to get some curtains, though," she said, pointing.

Scootaloo looked. From the doorstep, you could see right into Rainbow Dash's bedroom window, where Rainbow and Luna were still curled up together. Scootaloo winced. "I'll tell her," she said quietly.

Spitfire nodded. "You're a good kid. Good luck." She took off to report to Celestia. ...she decided she wouldn't mention what she saw through the window. Celestia had enough to worry about as is.