It was early in the morning when he felt a pair of hooves shaking him softly, the soft voice waking him from his sleep.
"Tooony."
He couldn't tell the difference between the two voices mixing into one. And with his eyes closed, he wasn't sure if it was just a dream or his marefriend. Chancing a glance, his fogged vision showed him Luna's midnight blue coat. With a small sigh of relief, Tony lifted himself into a sitting position, scratching the side of his head.
"I thought you'd never wake up," Luna smiled. "The chariot's waiting."
Tony nodded, but he furrowed a brow and turned to her. "Wait… is it morning?" Tony questioned, yawning softly.
"Well, considering the sun is up, I'd say yes," Luna nodded, stepping out of the way and letting the morning sun's rays hit him in the eyes.
Raising a hand to stop the light, Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Then shouldn't you be sleeping?" Tony questioned. Luna shrugged, then used her magic to toss him a change of clothes.
"Magic and science has worked wonders while I've been gone," Luna said. "Caffeine spells seem to work better than the actual thing, but I believe it's the taste they like."
Tony chuckled sleepily, kissing her snout. "I love it when you talk formal," he told her. Luna giggled, a faint blush etched across her cheeks.
Luna gave him some time to change, and he was ready within a few minutes. "I'm gonna go tell Twi and Spike I'll be gone for today," he said.
"I'll be in the chariot," Luna nodded, flying out to the platform and going to the waiting ride.
Tony stepped into the hall and went downstairs, where the smell of eggs, haybacon, and toast wafted throughout the first floor. He went into the kitchen, where Spike was cooking and Twilight was eating while reading, as usual.
"Morning, Tony," Spike waved, snagging a piece of haybacon.
"Morning," Twilight murmured, indulged by her book.
With a laugh and small shake of his head, Tony went into the fridge and served himself a glass of orange juice. "Morning. So guys, I'm gonna be gone for today," Tony began. "If Pinkie or anypony comes looking for me, just tell them I'll be back by tomorrow."
Twilight lowered her book and rose a brow. "Where are you going?" She asked.
"I'm uh… just heading to Canterlot for today," Tony chuckled weakly.
Smirks appeared on both of them. "Oh, so it's about Luna, I'm guessing?" Twilight teased.
Tony laughed softly and shook his head. "Well… not completely. She's just going to… help me with something."
Noticing his sudden shift in demeanor, Twilight felt a bit concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"Are you two… breaking up?" Spike asked, hesitantly.
Tony laughed again. "No, Spike. Just an issue with somepony that we both know," he assured them. "But anyway, I won't be gone for long. I'll probably be back by tonight, the latest tomorrow morning."
The two nodded. "See ya later, Tony," Spike smiled.
"Let us know if you're staying longer!" Twilight called as he headed for the front door.
"Okay, Twi!" Tony shouted, closing the door and jogging over to the chariot. The two Solar Guards saluted to him, and Tony waved dismissively.
Tony got in beside Luna, who was waiting patiently. With a nod to the pegasus guards, Luna scooted closer to her man as they took flight. It was strange to see her in the day, but he was still glad to have her with him. The city of Canterlot came into view… but Tony's vision flashed a picture of a building sitting on a rock formation, a storm raging around them and cracks of lightning illuminating the unseen structure. The waves reached heights that dwarfed homes, but they still weren't big enough to reach the concrete walls. It vanished as quickly as it had come, and Tony rubbed his eyes furiously.
"Something wrong?" Luna asked, looking up to him.
"Nah… just a bit tired," Tony chuckled, nuzzling her. She nodded, leaning back against his chest.
The chariot soon touched down on in the castle courtyard, and the two stepped out. "That will be all," Luna said to the guards.
They saluted to the night princess and unhooked themselves, trotting off to the castle. Luna brought Tony to a different part of the castle grounds, where not many guards were posted. Those that were guarding the doors stepped aside and opened the door for the two. The smell of shampoos, oils, and perfumes stung at Tony's nose, forcing a choked cough from him. Luna chuckled nervously, forgetting his strong sense of smell.
"I should have warned you, yes?" Luna giggled.
"It would've been *cough* nice," Tony coughed, covering his nose. "What is this place, anyway?"
"The Royal Bath House!" Luna announced, her voice echoing into the tall hallways. "It was my favorite place to go whenever the night court was over. 'Tia's made a few renovations, but it's mostly the same. Come."
Tony let Luna guide him into the massage room, which had a set of cushioned beds with head rests and a steaming waterfall at the far side of the room. It was small, but the ferns and bushes around the small pond added to the beautiful background. Luna motioned for him to sit on one of the massage beds while she trotted over to a hanging rope. He was going to question it's purpose, but she answered by pulling on it. Tony's ears moved slightly as he heard a sort of groan of metal. The doors practically flew open, and two unicorn mares appeared about as fast as Pinkie could.
"Good morning, Your Highness!" The light blue one with a white mane chirped, a certain accent to the way she spoke. "Vee had no idea you vere coming so early!"
"Eet would have been nize to know, but zat eez not ze point!" The yellow mare with a light green mane smiled. They had a certain… tenacity to them. "And who eez zis?!"
Oh boy.
The mares stepped uncomfortably close, trailing up and down his body with keen eyes. "Tony, I'd like you to meet Soft Punch and Deep Rub," Luna smiled, pointing to either. "Soft is Germanian and Deep is Prench. They'll be helping you to relax."
Both mares spun around to Luna. "Tony?! Az een ze alien prince!" Deep exclaimed.
"Ve've never seen him before!" Soft squeed. "Ve thought you vere in Ponyville!"
"I live there," Tony nervously chuckled. "I'm just… relaxing… with Luna."
The two rose their brows, then furrowed them in thought, and finally gasped as realization set in at the same time.
"YOU'RE COURTING?!"
Tony scooched back from their inquisitive stares, glancing to Luna, who nodded. "Y-Yeah… three months now," Tony laughed weakly. "We wanted to do something together… to relax."
The two had their jaws on the marble tiles, but they quickly lifted them up and smiled widely. "Vhy didn't you tell us?!" Soft asked Luna. "Ve understand not letting Equestria know, but ve can be trusted!"
"Soft!" Deep scolded. "Ze princess's love life eez not our concern! Eet would have been nice, yes, but Princess Luna doesn't need ponies like us to know!"
"It's nothing like that, Soft," Luna laughed, stepping forward. "We just aren't so sure about the nobles. You know how dramatic and uptight they can be. But do you promise to keep this strictly between us and my elder sister?"
"Ve promise, of course!" Soft chirped. "Oh, you look so adorable togezer!"
"Soft!" Deep exclaimed again. "You're making zem blush!"
"Oh, I'm sure a little color never zid anyzing wrong," she winked. "Now, vhat eez it you'd like? Muscle? Wing? Deep tissue?"
Luna spread her body over the soft mattress of the massage bed. "The supreme, if you'd mind," Luna sighed, using her horn to levitate the onyx-blue horseshoes beside the bed.
"Ah, ve haven't done zat een a while," Deep laughed. "Okay, off with ze clothes."
Tony forgot about those types of things, and briefly glanced around for a towel. "Alright, just… is there somewhere for me to change?"
They giggled softly, pointing to a door near the waterfall. Tony levitated a towel over to his hand and threw it over his shoulder before stepping into the small booth. It was actually a closet, which made sense since the only ponies allowed in were Celestia and Luna. Tony stripped down to nothing and wrapped the white towel around his waist, the cloth barely reaching halfway down his thighs.
I had to be tall.
Shaking his head and holding the towel in place, Tony stepped back outside and placed his clothes on the stone semicircle making the waterfall's pond. He walked back over to the bed and laid down.
"You have a good choice een stallions, Princess," Deep smiled, having enjoyed the sight of the muscled man.
"Have you two… slept togezer?" Soft inquired, forcing a blush from Tony while Luna giggled.
"A lady doesn't kiss and tell," Luna smiled, peering at Tony. "But you'll know soon enough."
Tony blushed as he saw the small smirk that she did to draw in his… primal interests. Gulping quietly, he laid down on his front and waited. Deep was assigned to him, while Soft went over to Princess Luna. Their magic brought two similar bottles over to them, and Tony hissed silently as a cold solution poured onto his back, along with a powerful smell of mint.
"What's that?" Tony questioned, shivering as the cold spread over his back and down his sides.
"Scented oils," Deep answered, spreading it on his legs next. "Ze princess asked for supreme, and we will do nothing less."
Tony tilted his head towards Luna, watching as her coat was matted down by the nightshade scented oils. She winked at him, just as his eyes trailed down to her shapely body. Soft started on her back, quickly chopping her back, just as Deep tried doing the same.
"Oh my," she whispered. Tony felt her hooves prod at his back, then run down it. "Eet's like ze castle wall."
"Having trouble?" Soft called, rubbing Luna's wings. "I could alvays svitch."
"Careful, girls," Luna moaned softly, her wings experiencing an amazing preening. "His marefriend is watching."
Tony chuckled, and it turned into a groan as Deep pressed as hard as she could on his back.
It felt… good. Really really good.
"Celestia's sun, how do you even stand with all that tension?!" Deep exclaimed, her hooves already straining to work out the diamond hard knots.
"I've, ohh, done it… for… twelve ye-years," Tony moaned. "Heh. Didn't know hoo-oooh-ves, could do this."
Even after Luna was tended to, it took another half hour before the mares worked out every stiff muscle in his body. Their hooves were sorer than ever, and Tony thanked them profusely out of sincerity and apology. With the calming oils deep in their skin and Luna's coat, the two masseuses led them to the main room of the Royal Bath House.
The bath house itself.
It was an enormous room, with an enormous pool of water. Deep's horn ignited and a faucet near the side began pouring steaming water into the bath. Deep and Soft left a towel for Luna, as Tony was still wearing his, as well as several body soaps, shampoos, and conditioners for them. Tony dropped the towel to the tiled floor, stepping in slowly and sighing as the warm water greeted him. It felt just like the lake he and Luna went swimming in during the Gala. She still hadn't gotten in, and he was going to question it when he fully remembered the Gala.
Oh sh-
"CANNONBALL!"
Luna splashed into the pool, sending a large wave into Tony's exposed body, forcing him to cover his arms. He groaned with a laugh as he wiped the water from his eyes. But she sprang up from the water again, wetting him once more.
"I thought I was supposed to relax!" Tony laughed, splashing water at her. "Not dodge every wave you make!"
"Have you ever even cannonballed?" Luna laughed. "It is the best invention since ice cream!"
"Trust me, cornmuffin is way better," Tony chuckled, sinking deeper into the water. Luna floated over to him, sitting on him practically, her horn resting beside his cheek.
Tony ran his hands through her wet mane, her smell and the mint oils mixing in his nostrils. Luna sighed blissfully as he massaged her upper neck and the top of her head, pulling her back just enough to give her a kiss on the lips. Many little kisses and nuzzles happened here and there, the steaming water already helping to ease his mind. Luna's horn chimed as a spell fired up, and soon Tony felt a bottle tap his head. He grabbed the shampoo with one hand, giving his marefriend a questioning smirk.
"I thought you were supposed to be the romantic one?" Luna remarked, nuzzling his cheek.
Tony shook his head and leaned forward. "Only when I want to be, my princess," he whispered, pouring it into her mane.
He tenderly massaged the soap into her starry mane, chuckling a bit as the foam hid the beautiful hairs. Using the empty bottle to wash it, Tony took a deep inhale of her lovely scent. When it was all out of her hair, he started to rub the body wash into her coat, massaging her relaxed muscles and rubbing his cheek against hers. She giggled as his fingers fiddled with her hooves, where she was pretty ticklish. Once he had washed that out, she moved to the side and did the same to him. Her hooves brushed through his long and ragged hair, which was in the same state even if it was wet. Still, messing with the stubborn waves and disheveledness was amusing for both of them.
After moving the soap over his broad frame she readied to pour the water on him, but a mischievous smirk grew on her lips. Her hooves slowly dipped into the water, moving back as far as possible.
"Don't even think about it," Tony whispered, his eyes still closed. Luna sighed with a roll of her eyes, but cleaned him off nonetheless.
Now that their bath was over… it was time to get out. But they figured Deep and Soft could wait a few minutes… or something along those lines. When they were reaching the point of wrinkles, after some time of cuddling and lip embracing, they got out and dried themselves off. They went outside, where Deep and Soft were flipping through the latest gossip in Canterlot. Upon hearing the door shut, they tossed their magazines away and stood up with smiles, noticing the more radiant glow about the two of them.
"Well don't you two look delightful!" Deep chirped, smiling brightly.
"Come! Your last stop iz ze sauna," Soft gestured to the door to the far end of the hall.
The couple stepped inside, but the two spa employees stayed behind. "I'm sure you know how to work eet, Princess," Deep smiled. "We'll leave you two to eet."
The door clicked closed, leaving them alone once again. Luna levitated a bucket of water over to the pile of coal in the center of the room. She poured some of it over the heated rocks, and steam immediately spewed out. Tony sat down across from the door, and Luna joined him.
"So we took a bath just to get all sweaty," Tony sighed. Luna giggled and shoved him to the side.
"It'll help," Luna said. "So, do you think you can talk about it now?"
Tony's smile faded as he looked off to the side in thought. Beads of sweat were starting accumulate on his brow and chest. "I was never really good with gauging people's emotions… even less with ponies," Tony chuckled. "I mean, yeah, I was nice to her and I really wanted to see her master the Kital. But… I just never saw her like that. Like I see you."
"Why not?" Luna asked. "She's very beautiful. And from what it sounds like you trusted her and wanted the best for her."
Tony nodded. "I did. But… did I ever tell you about Loki'irian love?" He questioned. Luna shook her head softly. "Well… to us it's a sort of fact. Every Loki'irian is destined to love once, and every Loki'irian is destined to meet their love."
"I never believed that."
"What do you mean? My father, your father, my mother, your mother have all loved once. And you're probably going to love once. I think I will, too."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon… won't we, Reku'un?"
"Y-Yeah… I-I mean, maybe not?"
Tony snapped out of his memory, realising Luna had asked him a question. "Uh… w-what?" Tony chuckled weakly.
Luna rose a brow, certain she had seen him space out for a moment. "Why do you say 'sort of'?"
"Well… it's rare, but there have been times when a Loki'irian can… love freely. But it's more common they love certain beings," he elaborated.
"So which are you?" Luna asked. "Do you only love me?"
"Salemos, Reku'un."
"Salemos, Nimani."
"…ny. Tony."
He turned back to her, seeing how worried she was. And she had every reason to be. She saw him dwell on his thoughts for the second time, almost as if she wasn't even there. Though she couldn't really tell what it was he was thinking about, it didn't seem like he was thinking about the problem with Fluttershy.
"Uh, I don't… I'm not sure. I-I mean-"
Knock-Knock
"Princess? Eet's been a half-hour!" Deep chimed, giggling soon after. "Should we give you a moment?"
Tony wiped the sweat from his head and stood up shakily. "We should go wash up," he said, quickly opening the door.
The mares outside stepped out of the way as Tony rushed out and to the showers to rinse off. Luna followed slowly, wondering what was wrong. She trotted after him, her worry rising as he picked up the pace. He spun the knobs and rinsed off briefly, but Luna blocked his exit.
"Tony. You have to tell me what's going on," Luna said sternly, looking him in the eye. "You're starting to worry me."
"It's nothing, Nimani."
"…Arthanians."
"No, no they're-"
"Reku'un, Arthanians!"
"Oh, sh-"
"Tony!"
A large migraine washed over his head, another flood of memories filling his thoughts. "Uh… sorry," Tony strained, trying to keep the pain invisible. "Maybe we should… talk about this somewhere private."
Going anywhere was the last thing on her mind, as his behavior was starting to alarm her. And the fact that he didn't answer her question only brought more suspiscion. But if he would talk about it in private, she was willing to comply.
The sun was just above the horizon, dipping ever so slowly as noon came around. Luna walked beside Tony on the small bridge that led to the main building of the castle grounds. The night princess was occasionally glancing up to him, recognizing his crossed arms and slight frown as the signs of him in thought. Her horn chimed as it came to life, which he still didn't notice, and she nudged him out of the way of the stone of the wall. He still followed, even if he was unaware the entire time. That was, until they entered the castle, and the smell of the staff and Celestia reached his nose.
"Oh… that was fast," Tony murmured, smiling weakly at Luna. She frowned with concern, to which he answered to by looking ahead.
Luna detoured them around the throne room and to her tower, which they climbed pretty quickly. Now that they were in her room, where no other pony was allowed aside from her sister…
…she wanted to know.
"What's bothering you?" Luna questioned firmly. "And don't tell me this is about Fluttershy."
Damn i-
Luna's eyes narrowed, and he slapped himself on the forehead. "Alright… alright…" Tony sighed. "I… I-I just…"
"Just what Tony?"
He took a step back, Nimani's voice garbling between her own. "What… did you say?"
"I said, just what?"
"There's going to be thousands of them! I can't risk your life!"
"And why not? You should be the one leading us!"
"Because I love you!"
"TONY!" Luna shouted, seriously concerned from his unresponsive behavior.
The battle in the desert flooded in, scenes of Nimani riding on other Nera'ak filling in gaps. Then the skirmishes he and Dan had gone through, where she had been during those fights. Graduation, and their dance. But it went beyond just a dance. He and her did the sacred dance of the betrothal reincarnation. Her death… and a battle he remembered nothing of. He lost… but he remembered Jerosh pulling him through the lines of soldiers, carrying him through a cave. His brother put him down on a table beside Dan, who was unconscious. Tony's vision was failing, but he managed to catch glimpses of pictures depicting his brain. And just like that, he was back with Eishla.
"TONY!" Luna screamed. He had collapsed on the ground, and was grunting and spasming randomly.
She did her best to rouse him from whatever it was that was happening, but he started speaking Neric, and his fists clenched tightly. There was nothing she could do. Something was going on, something in his head, but she hesitated to venture into his mind. He wasn't asleep, so if she went into his head, she would feel everything he felt, see everything he was seeing, hear everything, and feel everything. His memories were pained, horrible, and frightening, but it was all nothing if it meant stopping this.
Luna's horn lit again, and it grew brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding her. She leaned down and put the tip to his forehead, and the walls and furniture of her room faded away until only they remained. What she experienced in his mind was… shocking. She experienced his happiness, his love for another, his heartbroken sorrow, the unrelenting rage, and the unbareable pain of his battle. A battle he went into alone, against hundreds of soldiers, as a nine-cycle old Signa. He brought many down with him, but they overpowered him and nearly killed him. If it wasn't for Jerosh, who wiped his and Dan's mind clean of Nimani, Tony would have never even been alive to lose Eishla. But what he was remembering most was the dance… a dance of love… tradition…
…and marriage.
Luna shouted as she was sent backwards, his memory complete. Tony grunted as he put a hand to his head, hoping to soothe his migraine. They panted loudly from experiencing the dark and bright memories. Realising Luna was farther, he glanced up to her and regretted doing so.
She was crying.
She saw everything he had seen, he felt her presence mentally.
"Luna-"
"You were married."
Her words stung at his heart, Nimani's passing fully taking effect. "Not completely… but she was part of my clan," he whispered, his eyes watering.
"That's why you've been acting this way," Luna sniffled. "You loved her more."
"Luna, I didn't-"
"I felt it!" Luna interrupted, standing even with the pain all over her body. "You loved her for so long, courted longer than we have, and you were betrothed for years!"
"I didn't want to see you this way!" Tony argued, wiping his tears away. "I had the problem with Fluttershy, these memories of a woman I didn't even know existed that I almost married, and all while I thought I found my first love! AND, to top it all off, I'm one of the Loki'irians that can almost love freely! Whoop-de-freaking-do! Sucks to be me!"
"You should have told me when this started," Luna said, stepping closer. "For weeks now you've been remembering, and I could have helped you long before now! You thought I would overreact!"
"And you are!"
"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T TRUST ME!"
Silence lingered as her honest words drilled into his skull.
He didn't trust her to help him. He didn't think she would handle this the right way.
But this was the one time he was going to wish he had the Iikro to contain.
"Because I trusted you once, and then you stabbed me in the back!" Tony shouted, his voice reverberating through her mind. "You made me grow, made me lose control of a monster, made me kill Dan, and made me be the thing I HATED more than ANYTHING! And it all happened because you listened to HIM instead of ME!"
Tony panted deeply with his venemous glare digging into Luna's eyes, his teeth bared angrily and his face scrunched up in anger. Luna's hurt expression barely registered in his mind, until she wiped her tears from her eyes.
"I made a terrible mistake," Luna sniffled, her voice cracking. "You said you forgave me, but I knew I could never make it up to you. I thought you really did forgive… I thought you really wanted to be with me. I cried for three days and three nights, thinking that I had obliterated any chance to be happy with someone I loved. Then you came and told me it was alright… but at least now I know it was a lie."
Tony slowly caught his breath and regained his senses… realising what he said and how distraught Luna was. It happened again… he hurt somepony close to him. But this time, it was her. He spat hateful words to somepony he loved that loved him just as much, if not more.
Like he did to Eishla. The one he promised that nothing like this would ever happen again.
His glare disappeared, and instead an apologetic frown formed. But there was no sorry to what he had said. Luna knew the truth, and a simple sorry wouldn't cut it. He…
…he blew it.
Tony sighed softly, wiping his eyes and rubbing his temples. "Goodbye," he whispered as he stepped out of her room.
He skipped down the steps, ignoring the Lunar guards and hurrying out of the castle. Instead of calling Nyla, hopping on a train, or getting a pegasus cab, he flew into the sky and went straight for Whitetail Woods. As soon as he touched down he ran through the leafless trees in search of the biggest stone he could find. After combing the forest, he ran to the very center and launched himself at the story high boulder. His fist smashed it to pieces, a cloud of pebbles and shattered stone blowing past him. He beat the rocks down to sand with his bare hands, grunting in anger even as he vented. When the rock was all but gone, he sat down and rested his arms on his knees.
Reku'un?
What?
…
…
Is everything alright?
No, it isn't, Nyla. You remember Nimani, don't you?
I received your memories just a moment ago. You… Ideska'od her?
I loved her… more than I ever have for Luna. But why? Why her?
She was a Signa, Reku'un. A very young and beautiful Signa. You and her courted for three cycles… you've barely made it to four moon's with the mare.
Now isn't the time for your mistrusted titles.
Fine then. If you want my honest opinion… you loved Nimani more because you were with her longer.
Or it could be because she was Loki'irian.
No, Reku'un. You love Luna, I despise her and those ponies but you love her. And you loved Nimani, for six years. Do you remember how the humans said "It all goes down after the first kiss" or something?
Yeah.
You and Nimani instantly clicked, from what I remember. The same goes for Luna… but I've seen you come out from the shell we were both driven to, slowly but surely. You may have not noticed, but I've seen the love you held for Luna grow and grow by the day. It has always been slow because you denied her the trust she looked for, but out of caution instead of mistrust.
…
…
I love her, Nyla. Minira knows I didn't want to make her cry or hurt like that. I just… fucked up so badly… and I still can't deal with Fluttershy until I have everything sorted out.
Then… maybe you should confront the pony wisest about this sort of problem.
What are you talking about?
You are struggling with two loves and a love you cannot return. Does this make it more simple?
Tony thought for a minute, and he soon realised who it was Nyla was talking about.
Do you think she'll help me… after I tell her I made her aunt cry?
It is worth a shot. Hit or miss, as they say.
More like a leap of faith.
The ground trembled as Nyla landed gracefully behind Tony. He stood up and climbed onto her back, taking hold of the reigns. She spread her strong wings again and took off, hovering over the forest before heading north, past Canterlot and to the frozen lands.
Let's hope the cold doesn't kill us before Cadence does.