//------------------------------// // What Dreams May Promise. // Story: Legacy // by NFire //------------------------------// Luna waited at Canterlot castle, feeling Crusader awaken from his dream. She has enjoyed the talk, the walk with a being that so far seemed unreachable through her auspices and office. He was fervent in his desire to gain help for his sister and she was glad to be able to offer it. Though an unknown, she had faced much in her long life and would do so again for a friend. Her horn lit with magic, opening a portal to step through, to help one who so needed it. She walked into the flames of Tartarus itself.. Luna looked around at not a grayness as before, but a night of fire and conflagration. All around her rained down weapons unimaginable in her mind though Crusader had shown her such. This was so much worse. Nuclear fire ripped through the atmosphere, cleansing it with bright flame and tearing down mountains. Hellbores, the large cannon he had described so vividly came to life; their shots spearing through the night into the skies, followed by explosions so immense they drowned out the stars. Ships died, falling onto the planet never to recover in a holocaust of destruction.. It rained comets of burning flame, pounding into the landscape, stripping it of life. Cities fell into ashes, blown away in the winds of war which brought ruin to all. Strange metal objects flew overhead, exploding in more fireballs. Spears of light struck the ground, making it ripple in reaction to kinetic strikes. She watched machines like Crusader move around the countryside, their guns dealing nothing but death around them, their enemies dying in droves as they fought back against immovable mountains of force. The smaller machines massacred in place by volleys of cannons bigger than a house, tearing through the meters of metal like paper. Luna stood upon a hill looking at the horizon below, covered in radiation and sweeping chemicals that melted skin and bone, the screaming skulls all that remained to stare sightlessly up at the glowing heavens. Remains trampled beneath treads of metal as the machines moved forward, bringing with them doom in a thousand ways. Her ears perked as she stood upon the blasted hillside, hearing the screams and agony of the dying and already dead, the ones who did not know it yet. Their bodies soaked in radiation that burned with invisible fires underneath skin, bringing with it death in a unimaginable hellish pain. Her eyes watched as a once green land was turned into a wasteland nightmare of proportions never seen by her or any other pony. It shocked her to the core this violence so deep and terrible. The wind brought to her nose the scent of burned flesh and a perfume of mixed horrors that stuck in her nostrils, clinging as if to never let her forget. But one voice stood out above all this annihilation, it caught her attention like an itch needing to be scratched. “....worthless!....” She turned, her every nerve and bit of magic homing in on that word. “...stupid Bolo!...” She stepped off the hill overlooking the demise of a planet, looking for the source of that voice. “...Ought to retire you, send you back!..” There, in a grove of dead trees. She launched herself into the air, spearing her body towards the sounds of condemnation. “...nothing! No one would ever want you!...” A group of tall shadows, faceless and vicious, were standing in a circle around a single figure. A Pegasus that cowered, covering herself as if she were to be hit at any moment. The voices were louder, angrier, hissing and spitting. They were all the same. “You are nothing...” “Cannot do anything right!” “Worthless hunk of metal!” “Stupid Bolo AI! Ought to be scrapped!” “You and your sister are abominations!” “Shut up! I don’t want to hear you!” “You are so STUPID!” Anger fueled her magic, her horn lit like a beacon, spearing her will into the group of shades. A warmth drove the cold back, her fury a sword of light. “Away! Begone from my demesne! Foul things of Tartarus return to your pits to burn forever!” The shadows were forced back and back, away from the solitary figure as her magic wove it’s net of light, capturing them and demolishing their substance. She glared around the trees for more, seeing them gone and banished from her dreamscape. The Dark Princess approached the huddling figure, seeing bedraggled wings, the coat stained and dirty. Bruises covered the once beautiful form. Mane and tail torn and shredded, hooves cracked and worn. Fore legs were brought up in front of the face, as if expecting more hits or a pummeling from something. A tired, crying voice was whispering, “We...we did e...every...everything you asked..we...we tried!” Luna recognized that voice, Athena. What had happened to her? “P..pl..please d...do..don’t s...send us... b...back!” Luna reached out with a gentle hoof, pushing down slowly on the covering legs, seeing a bloodied face with eyes blackened, a beating of immense proportions had that pretty face received. “See me Athena, feel my presence and be warmed. It is but a dream and I have driven away the shadows.” Luna’s voice was warm and quiet. Talking to the Pegasus as if a frightened foal in the night. The eyes averted themselves as if looking at her would get Athena hit again. She tried to scrabble away, holding out a hoof to keep back anything that might be menacing her. “We d...did wh..what you t..told us too! We f...fought!” Dark hooves reached for the outstretched one, halting the scrambling figure and drawing her close with quiet whispers of comfort. “Come to me Athena, it is all right, there is nothing to hurt you now.” As her hooves touched the broken one, the Pegasus let out a scream, eyes welling with tears as she covered her face again waiting to be hit. Luna’s heart broke in so many pieces at the sound of pure horror. A simple touch turned to an expectation of blows and strikes. “Don’t! I didn’t do anything! I’m not stupid! I’m not!” The frail body sobbed, tears flowing like diamonds down the face that reflected such pain and anguish. Her wings spread out, feathers torn and bloody as she tried once again to get away. “I didn’t do anything! I didn’t!” The Princess of the Night turned her magic to the landscape around them, wiping away the war. She brought to life a warm sun, a field of tall grass, a quiet summer day. “It is all right. Come to me my pony, it is all right.” She slowly moved closer, holding the single hoof in hers as she drew Athena to her breast, holding the sobbing form tightly against her. As her fore legs wrapped around the crying mare, Luna’s anger was a cold fire inside her heart. Would that she could reach back through time to find the one that broke a heart like this one, she would send him to the lowest pit of the furthest hell she could find and make him burn for all eternity. Without surcease or succor she would fan the flames with her very wings to make that being pay. In all her years walking dreams, she had never seen such torture before. Her hoof stroked Athena’s mane, softly whispering to her that it would be all right. “I...I didn’t d...do... any...anything wr...wrong!” The tears formed puddles on the rich soil, watering it with agony and shame. None of which was deserved. “Shhhh my pony. See me Athena, hear me. I am your Princess and this is but a dream.” “Please don’t hurt me any...anymore... I...I’ll be good..” “No one shall hurt you Athena. Not ever again.” The heaving chest slowed, the crying softened to whimpering sobs as Athena held tight to Princess Luna. The emaciated body trembled in fright at being let go and so clung to the darker mare with all it’s might. So weak, a pale reflection of what Luna had seen before. Eyes red from crying looked up at hers, meeting them slightly, still the expectation of cuts being delivered showed deep in the lavender color. “P....Princess Luna?” “It is I Athena. Do you hear me?” The sad face nodded, “But...” “It is but a dream my pony. I have wiped away the fear.” Soft lips kissed the troubled brow, spreading a healing warmth throughout the battered Pegasus. “I don’t w...want to....to be h...here...” “Why not?” “Be...because I...I’m stu...stupid.. Wor...worthless...” The tears were flowing again. Luna looked up to see the shadows forming once more, raising clenched fists to beat and demean. Her magic swept forward, tearing them apart and sending them away once more. “No my pony, you are brave and strong. Rest against me, I will protect you.” Luna’s wings spread out, wrapping around the other Pegasus in a cloak of protection, sheltering her from any storm. “B...but I a...am.. We...we d..did every...everything he ask..asked...” Luna knew exactly who she was talking about, “He was a coward. A bully who took his own worthlessness out on you. He is nothing but dust.” “B...but he...he s...said..” “Would you say your Princess lies Athena?” She looked down into the tearful eyes. “N..no! I...I’m s..s...s..sorry!” Her eyes shied away once more, the trembling starting anew. “Do not be sorry precious Athena. You have no reason.” Her hoof stroked the bright mane once more, “You are so much more than that filth will ever be. Your soul is bright and true, it goes with being a warrior my pony.” “I...I tr...tried to...to be brave... Hera and I...f...fought so..so hard.. It..it was never en...enough.” Sobs broke out once more from the tightly held Pegasus. “Shhhh, softly my pony. For one such as that waste of flesh, nothing would be enough. You were so much more courageous then he would ever be and he knew that.” “H..how do you know that?” “Crusader told me Athena, you are his sister and he loves you dearly.” A smile breaks out on the bruised face, it is bright and warm, “He would talk with us.. Late at night. He read to us Shakespeare and others. We...we used to tease him so much. But he was kind and never minded. Even when we played pr..pranks on him. He never got...got angry.” “He wants to see you healed and whole again Athena. To be happy once more.” Luna smiles as she taps Athena’s nose gently, “The first thing, is to realize what lies in the past should not be resurrected.” “I...I d...don’t kn..know if I can...can be.” “You are not broken, merely hurt. You can heal if you want it.” Luna’s hoof never stops stroking the cream mane. “I do, oh I so want to be happy.” “Then do so, it is your choice. Do not let somepony from the past tell you different. It is a new age for you Athena. Look at yourself, be who you wish to be.” A shape flies over the pair of ponies, Rainbow Dash comes into a landing on the grass nearby. Luna has brought her into the dream to help. The cyan mare is smiling at Athena who is looking better by the moment, the hurts fading, the bruises gone. Her wings full and feathered, hooves shiny and new. “Hey! C’mon Athena, let’s go push some clouds around! Luna told me you’ve been slacking off!” “But...but I c..can’t fly..” Rainbow chuckles, “Lame excuse for getting out of work!” Luna laughs, kissing her brow once more before letting her go from the warm embrace. “It is a dream Athena, you can do what you wish.” A look of hope crosses the sable mare’s face as she gets to her hooves. She spreads her wings a bit and gives them a few test flaps, finding herself in the air with little effort. “I.. I can FLY!” Rainbow laughs, “Yeah yeah, big deal. Not as fast as I am though!” She takes off at speed, leaving Athena hovering by Luna. “Athena, it is your dream.” She gives the pegasus a wink. “What..I mean.. OH!” She flaps her wings harder, lifting up into the air with a yell, “It’s my dream Rainbow! I’m faster!” She sees the multi-colored mane stop then turn around, yelling back, “Then pick it up lazy!” Luna watches Athena’s face go crestfallen at the chiding, wondering if she should say something, but stops herself. “I...I’m n...not lazy!” Athena’s face gets a cheerful look as she waves to Luna, zipping off into the blue sky after Rainbow Dash with a laugh. “I’m not lazy Rainbow Dash!” Princess Luna sets back and watches Rainbow Dash teach her about clouds, moving and working the weather. There is a lot of laughter filling the quiet summer air. She thinks to herself before leaving them be, stepping out from the dream. The road will not be long precious pony. Friends make it much, much shorter.