True Harmony

by Saturni_Rose

Part 19: What friends are for.

Darkness surrounded Rainbow Dash on all sides. Yet on she flew, rapidly throwing her hooves out in a rolling series of beating motions, hanging and angling into a leftward, spiralling flightpath. As her hooves struck out against the darkness itself, it receded, red charging sparks arcing between her and the black fluff. As she rose, her spiral shortened, and she finally escaped the darkness for fading lavender twilight hues above.

Rainbow hovered above the stormcloud to look it over in the fading light of dawn, hooves on her hips. It rumbled as if on command, little flashes of red light poking between the lumps of dark fluff. She rubbed her chin, thinking she must have gone a touch too fast, misting some of the cloud up. But it was otherwise a harmless light phenomenon, so she dusted her hooves and called it a job well done.

She lounged back in a lazy backstroke with an air of easiness. Somehow, she felt as though she’d really needed that. And though she was proud of her speed and agility, sometimes she surprised even herself how quickly she could get something done. Maybe it was just how worked up she’d been lately, and how much she needed to get that out of her system. Either way, she felt plenty good as the sun peeked over the distant treeline, warming her cheeks.

“Hey Rainbow, is that you?” came a voice far below. Way down in the village outskirts, Rainbow could just make out a tiny orange figure. And though she was still on the job, Dash also figured she had just completed an hour’s work in thirty minutes. So where was the harm?

She sailed gently down, laying her hooves upon the cobbles with a soft click. Donning a warm smile for the friendly face looking up, she said: “Heya, Scoots. Shouldn’t you be heading to school?”

Scootaloo waved her off, unbothered. “Eh, I’ve got plenty of time.” She confidently pat the handlebars of her scooter, adding: “I can move pretty fast once I get going.”

Rainbow snickered before reaching out and clicking together the loose chinstraps of her helmet. “Hey that’s great, just stay safe, okay?”

Feeling at the clip under her chin, Scootaloo pouted somewhat. “Aw, c’mon, I was fiiiine.”

“Hey now,” chided Rainbow gently, “ya think I got as good a flier as I am without some proper safety when I was younger?” When Scootaloo grumbled, she added: “Trust me, I didn’t.”

“Fine.” huffed Scootaloo in defeat, leaving the helmet attached. Rainbow reached out and playfully tussled the bit of her reddish violet mane that stuck out.

“Anyhow, I’m betting you didn’t come to see the coolest gal in Ponyville for safety advice.” She leaned to one side and casually crossed her ankles one over the other. “So what’s up?”

“Yeah I was just wondering. I hate to bother you, but…” Scootaloo’s mouth pulled to one side. “Is… Luna gonna be okay?”

Rainbow Dash nearly stumbled, far less casually. Catching herself, she cleared her throat. “Ah-ahem. Uh, yeah, sure, why shouldn’t she be, little dude?”

“Don’t baby me on this.” harrumphed Scootaloo. She sat down on the base of her scooter and crossed her hooves. “The way you guys hurried off to see her yesterday, and… and I saw Applebloom earlier, she was real shaken up by what her sister told her.”

Rainbow scrunched up her face and ran her hoof down it. Of course miss Honesty wouldn’t lie to her little sis. “What, uh, did she say, exactly?”

“Th-that she got hurt real bad in her last fight against the Pink Shadow.” Scootaloo shook her head. “We were just having fun, thinking about who’d win in a fight, but…”

A little relief found Dash. At least Applejack had spared her the gruesome details. She thought again about the bandages she saw, trying not to imagine what lie beneath them. Gulping it down, she sat next to Scootaloo and placed a gentle hoof across the back of her shoulders. “Let’s calm it down a touch. Look, fighting can be kinda fun sometimes; with proper safety and knowing when to stop, of course! And arguing over who’d take home the bragging rights in one can be too. None of this you and your pals’ fault, okay?”

Scootaloo didn’t respond, but scuffed her hoof along the ground.

Wincing, Rainbow took a breath and tried to think. She’d seen Rarity and Applejack in action. Surely she could do the whole big sister routine like them. “Look, kiddo. It is okay to have your fun. Ya just gotta remember now and again that it can be a big scary world out there, and like… sometimes it’s time to stop playing around and get serious.”

When Rainbow pat her on the back, Scootaloo pulled her hooves off the ground and hugged her knees. “I guess that makes sense.” Looking up at her, she added: “But… give it to me straight, Dash. Luna’s okay, right?”

“Woof.” said Rainbow, looking away from those big purple eyes. Her stomach was tight. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Scoots. AJ would kick my flank if I did. She wasn’t looking so hot when I saw her.”

Scootaloo’s brow pinched in, nervous and apprehensive. It eased when Rainbow flashed her a smile.

“But hey, she’s a rough, tough warrior chick. She’s been doing this kinda thing long before any of us were even born. So I know she’s gonna make it and return to kick some major tail.” She gave Scootaloo a very churlish wink.

Scootaloo reached up and bopped her shoulder. She might have giggled at Rainbow’s feigned display of great pain from it, had other things not been keeping her mood down. “Hey, c’mon, don’t scare me like that. Nightmare Night season is over.”

“Nightmare Night is the best holiday though, so that season is forever in here.” Rainbow poked her chest, relaxing a deal when Scootaloo finally gave a chuckle. They sat back, both relaxing a moment. Rainbow thought: Maybe this big sister thing isn’t so bad.

“So.” said Scootaloo breaking the peaceful quiet. She looked back up at Dash. “What about you?”

She gave the filly a nonplussed look, wondering if she was about to eat her words. “How d’ya mean?”

“Do you…” hesitated Scootaloo, “like…”

Rainbow pulled her a little closer by her shoulder. “Scoots, I want you to know you can always be real with me, okay? You’re my little buddy, and I’m your big pal. I don’t ever want you to be afraid to speak your mind.”

Scootaloo nodded slowly. She reached up and placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “You don’t really hate Luna, do you?”

“Ah.” said Rainbow flatly. Displeasure stretched across her face. “Did Applejack also mention that in front of her little sis?”

“Bloom said AJ thinks you’re like, super upset with her. And I don’t get it.” Scootaloo’s eyes were wide with confusion and concern in equal measure.

Rainbow groaned but tried to take a breath and let it go. “It’s, well, like… super complicated adult type feelings. It’d hard to explain, kiddo.”

Scootaloo grimaced. “But you just said I could be real with you. So… be real with me back. Please, I just wanna understand why the two mares I look up to most are fighting.”

Rainbow nearly bounced in startled surprise. Looking back down at her, she asked: “You really look up to me that much?”

“Duh.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You’re only the coolest flyer in all of Ponyville. Probably in all Equestria even.”

Rainbow started to say how it made sense she looked up to Luna. And not just because she was so tall. But then she thought against it, not really wanting to sing her praises. After a moment’s hesitation, however, she decided to not be petty. For Scootaloo’s sake, of course.

“I think I can understand looking up to Luna.” said Rainbow reluctantly.

“She is very tall, yes.” interrupted Scootaloo, nodding sagely.

Dash gave her an incredulous grin. “She’s big, yes, and strong. And really collected most of the time; cool in her own weird way.” She tussled Scootaloo’s hair a little once more. “But looking up to me? That really does mean a lot to hear, especially from somepony cool as you. So thanks for that, squirt.”

“No prob.” said Scootaloo. Then she urged her to go on. “So why’re you mad at her?”

Rainbow scratched under her chin and looked skyward. Maybe if she didn’t have to face her, it wouldn’t be so difficult to come right out and say it. “Okay, well… see, I was really upset about Pinkie disappearing. And maybe it was foolish of me, but I sorta blamed myself, ya know? We went to a concert together that night, but I lost track of her.”

“O-oh.” said Scootaloo, likely hearing these details of the story for the first time. Her ears folded back.

Dash’s gaze continued to wander across the skies above as she went on. “Turns out, a couple nights into her being missing, Luna got it in her head that this piece of Nightmare Moon was what took her. And she ended up being right.”

“That’s… not really her fault, is it? She wouldn’t do that—not on purpose, right?”

“Whoa, whoa,” said Dash, waving her hoof to try and dismiss such a notion, “of course not. Luna isn’t Moon anymore, she didn’t orchestrate any evil plans here.” She flexed her hoof. “The thing I’m upset about is she knew this… Nightmare piece thing was around for a while. And she had that idea it was behind Pinkie’s disappearance. And, like… she didn’t tell us. Any of us, about any of it. And… we’re her friends, ya know?”

Scootaloo sat with that a moment. It was like some big heavy object had suddenly been upended and landed right in her lap. She wasn’t fully sure what to do with it. Part of her regretted opening this can of worms. “But… why would she do that?”

Rainbow’s mouth pulled tight to one side. “I mean… if I had to guess, maybe she still has it in her head that she’s a total lone wolf bada—” She paused, remembering she was speaking with a child. “I mean, b-bad to the bone warrior, and that, like, in some weird way she thought she was protecting us. Like, if she solved it herself right away, it wouldn’t hurt any of us.”

It took a moment. But eventually Scootaloo gave a nod, thinking she understood. “And… that didn’t happen, did it?”

“Definitely not how she probably saw it going down in her head.” Thinking on it, Rainbow reached into the pocket of her weather team vest. She produced a necklace with a red lightning bolt. “And she’s gotta understand. We aren’t just mundane everyday ponies that can’t help her. We’re the Elements of Harmony.” She pawed back the trinket, rolling her eyes. “And, well, her friends too. That’s sorta, like, the way more important thing I’m trying to teach here. That we’re friends, and friends should have each other’s backs.”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but laugh as Rainbow got more animated, motioning as though she were placing the concepts physically before her. “Don’t worry, I think I got it.”

“Good, ‘cause I don’t wanna have to repeat mys—” Rainbow stopped talking when she felt little hooves wrap around her in a tight hug. After a moment’s hesitation, she hugged back. Hugs were pretty nice, after all.

“Thanks for talking to me, Rainbow.” said Scootaloo as they parted.

“Anytime.” Rainbow told her warmly.

A lanky pegasus stallion with a purple coat set down beside them, shoving his wavy mane of stormy gray to one side. “Catch ya goofing off again, did I?”

“Heya, Even.” said Dash with a wry grin. She knew of course knew his full name; it was, however, a mouthful. ‘Even’ was easier to call out over the high winds. He also went by Ces, but only his closest friends got to call him that. “Sorry ‘bout this, just seeing a family friend off to school.”

He waved it off, his starry eyes crinkling with a crooked smile. “Aw, you know I’m just messing with you. Just saw you’re already done with this afternoon’s stormcloud, so no harm.” Leaning in, he asked: “Didn’t know you had a niece, though. Wanna introduce me?”

“Niece?” asked Scootaloo. She turned her confused face up to Dash next. “Family friend?”

Lips pursed in thought, Rainbow nodded and said: “I mean, sure. AJ’s sorta like a sister to me, or close cousin I guess, and you’re one of her little sister’s best pals. So I’m pretty sure that makes you like an honorary niece, or little sis, or whatever.”

Scootaloo’s eyes lit up with a loud gasp. “Does this mean I can go with Bloom and Sweetie on their sisterhood summer camp trip next year?”

Rainbow blinked a moment. Then she smiled, slowly nodding. “Ya know what? Yeah. Sure.” Gesturing up at the waiting pegasus, she added: “Anyway, Scoots, this is the best weather supervisor basically ever, Calm Evening Skies. We call him ‘Even’ for short.”

“Oh stoppit, you’re embarrassing me.” chuckled Even.

“And Even, this is my honorary little sis, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo announced: “This is like, the coolest day of my life.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Cooler than when you got to meet Luna? I’m cooler than a centuries old wizard warrior?”

Shrugging, Scootaloo told her: “I’m not her honorary sis, so, nah.”

“Oh,” said Even, his face lighting up as he pushed his wavy hair aside again, “speaking of, I met her sister once. The queen even signed my favorite shirt.”

Unconvinced to this day, Rainbow chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Again with this, Even? Nopony believes the queen just randomly appeared right next to you on a summer’s day.”

“But why would I lie about that?” he asked, chagrined but not quite frustrated. “The whole weather team thinks I’d forge her signature with a pen I stole? C’moooon.”

As Rainbow leaned back to have a laugh with him, she again felt the powerful charm she held. Looking back down at it, it sparkled just like the odd lightning she’d given to the stormcloud. Her laughter faltered and her mouth went tight. Looking up, she saw the horizon, beyond which lie the capital. A train ride would take an hour. She could easily get that down to thirty minutes while still pacing herself. Maybe twenty if she didn’t.

“Say,” she said at last, meeting Even’s starry eyes, “speaking of family and friend stuff, I think there’s something I should go take care of. Mind if I go ahead and take my lunch hour?”

He paused to consider her. “Sure, Dash, I don’t see why not.”

She bit her lip and amended: “It, uh, could take a little while. There’s a chance I’d be coming back late. B-but I’ll gladly stay late to make up for it.”

He smiled at her. “Hey, as long as everything gets done on time, I won’t make you stay. And knowing you, it will.”

Pride filled her chest as he shot her a wink. She stood and shook his hoof. “Thanks, Even, you really are the best.”

After their hooves parted, he leaned down to Scootaloo’s level. “Let this be a lesson, kiddo. If you get your work done early, you can earn more time to goof off.”

Smirking, Rainbow shook her head. “Yeah I don’t really think that’s the best lesson here.”

He shrugged playfully at her. Leaning his head to one side, his stormy hair fell back across his face as he added: “Hey, if it’s not, that’s what school is for.”

“Hey, speaking of, you’d better get going, Scoots.” Rainbow nodded down the street. “Don’t wanna be late.”

“Okay, okay.” mewled Scootaloo as she took hold of her scooter and got ready to head off. “Thanks again for chatting with me, Dash. Oh, and it was nice meeting you, mister Even Skies.”

“See you round.” Rainbow gave her a wave, then took off in the opposite direction. The filly and stallion both stood there, awestruck as rings of air violently parted for her as she picked up speed.

Scootaloo let out an impressed whistle. Chuckling, Even said: “Yep. She sure is something.”

---

Rainbow Dash threw all her limbs out at her sides to catch as much air as possible and slow herself way down. Her feathers rippled against the onrushing wind as she began to sink, hooves gently skimming the clouds just beneath her. Once she felt she’d lost enough velocity, she dipped her whole body around and dove right through the cloud layer. The rush of whites and light grays parted to reveal Canterlot castle.

The golden bulb domes topping certain towers shone brightly as she gently descended toward the grand structure. How many times had she been here? In the previous life she knew, Rainbow Dash would likely never have chanced a visit. To the capital itself, certainly. But the castle itself? It never would have occurred to her before Luna came into her life.

She found herself wondering how many sieges that navy alicorn had overseen from these very walls. Fluttershy had spoken a little of the dreary, sleep deprived mare who couldn’t help spilling her grizzly guts.

As she got properly within its walls, a pair of pegasus guards rose to meet her. She could tell right away the burly duo were somewhat on edge. The first of the two to approach tried to be as calm and polite as he could, telling her: “We’re sorry, ma’am, but castle airspace is off limits at the moment. We’re gonna have to ask you to land outside castle grounds and petition for entry there.”

“Hey, I get it, castle guard is probably nervous because of the whole Pink Nightmare Shadow situation, or whatever they’re calling her.” Rainbow presented her Element. “But as you can see, I’m here on totally official Element of Harmony business.”

One shared a quick look with the other before the second said: “Could be a fake. Meaning you no offense.”

Her jaw hung open and she blinked slowly. “Fake. I would go to all the trouble of creating a fake magic rock just to—okay, nevermind, look, I’m kinda in a bit of a hurry here, and you’re wasting my lunch break.”

The first guard bumped the other on the shoulder. “Actually, yeah, what do you mean fake? Nightmare doesn’t need to do that, she disguised herself as a training dummy; she has full illusory capability.”

“It was,” said the second, raising his hooves with the opener, then lowering them even as they ignored Rainbow smacking her forehead, “implied. I implied that the fake stone was a part of the illusion, just like that out of regulation weather team vest.”

The first one nodded, hoof to his chin as he considered her. “Yeah, now that you mention it, I don’t see how she’s going to fool anypony with that.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed like a predator’s jaws set to gnashing. “Out of regulation? It’s a Ponyville team vest. And Equestrian weather team regulation, section 35, item number 5 dictates that a team vest needn’t be yellow, so long as it’s a high visibility hue, atypical of the morning sky.” She yanked on the neon bright vinyl material. “This is clearly a high vis shade of green, my guy.”

Pursing his lips, the second one hmm’d with thought. “Nah,” he decided, actually, “that’s too pastel. It’ll get washed out against a cloudy backdrop in a golden horizon scenario. It’s outta regulation.”

“Puh,” stammered Rainbow Dash, practically offended at his all too nonchalant shrug, “pastel?! Get a good look at me, dude, are you really going to argue color theory when I’m the one with a color wheel in every mirror I look into? Get real.”

“Hey, hey, what’s going on up here?” came a new voice.

“Yeah, what’s the issue?” came a second.

“Petra, Nimbus.” The first guard referred to Rainbow Dash with a nod. “Got a mare flying over castle grounds unauthorized. We were trying to tell her she had to check in, because, obviously, she could be Nightmare in disguise.”

“Disguise?” scoffed the second one. “Don’t you mean ‘full illusory capability?’”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry about that.” He rolled his eyes.

Petra shared a quick look with Nimbus before looking over to Rainbow and saying: “Hey Dash, do the thing real quick?”

“The… thing?” She watched Petra’s hoof point at the Element in her hoof. “Ohhhhhh.” When she put it on around her neck, the bolt shaped gem flashed red, as did her eyes.

Gesturing for the first two, Petra said: “There, see? Genuine article.”

He blinked at her. “Couldn’t that be a part of the illusion?”

Nimbus sidled up beside her partner and nudged her. “There’s a password, remember? We gave it to the Elem—”

“There’s a password.” proudly announced Petra, clearly remembering this all on her own. She opened the floor to Rainbow anew. “Miss Dash, if you would?”

It was with great exasperation Rainbow rolled her eyes. They certainly hadn’t approached her when deciding this code. But fine. For their sakes. “Ugh. The pass phrase is ‘true harmony.’”

“There you have it, gents.” Petra took Nimbus’s hoof and was already beginning to drift away. “That’s the real Element of Loyalty. Hope this cleared things up.”

The first guard looked at the second. “They tell you about a password?”

“Really more of a code phrase.” he replied at first before wincing at the unpleasant look he got. “But no.”

He looked Dash up and down, thinking of arguing further. In the end, he shrugged and gave it up. “It’d help me do my job if I was better informed. But fine, if something happens we can blame it on the queen’s favorite pets for letting her in.”

Rainbow started to rebuke him with further snide remarks in kind, but bit her tongue. She took a cooling breath of that crisp autumn air and instead told him: “Look bud, I know how that feels, not knowing something you probably should. No hard feelings.”

He paused as he and his partner made to return to their patrol. His face was stern, not wanting to yield even if part of him felt he should. “Hmm… same to you.”

Hardly did Rainbow want to go through that whole rigmarole again. As such, she decided a window might be the best route. Finding the section of castle she recalled, she began racing by the windows. Skidding to a stop, she pulled back around when she found it. Peering in, there sat Luna. Rainbow couldn’t help arching her brow when she spied what looked like a very pretty griffin chatting her ear off and changing her bandages.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped the pane. Luna whirled around to look at the window, then clearly regretted that, judging by her wincing face and how she gripped at the exposed stitches. Rainbow grimaced, but breathed a little easier when her magic grip opened up to her.

“Rainbow.” said Luna with surprise trilling her voice. She was trying to steady her breathing to appease the stitches she’d just pulled on by accident. Her magic grip pulled on her bedsheet, hoping to hide just in case her flesh decided to weep again. “This is certainly a surprise. Er, ahem, I—the password, if you please. Don’t want Atavia worrying.”

“True harmony.” she repeated as the window closed off the cool breeze behind her. “And it’s really more of a code phrase. Ya know, since there’s two words.”

“You must be Rainbow Dash.” said this pretty griffin lady, beaming even as she unrolled fresh gauze. “Luna has told me so much about you.”

Rainbow glanced over at Luna and asked: “Has she now?”

“Oh yes.” she replied, chipper, not picking up on any icy undertones. “How you’re the boldest, bravest member of the team, and that your agility is simply unmatched. She seems highly impressed with you.”

Rainbow didn’t look at the griffin prattling on; she looked at Luna with pleading eyes. The pale blue eyes meeting her own were full of sorrow and sincerity. Her mouth went tight and she turned to say: “Actually, speaking of, miss Atavia…” Her hoof went to the back of her neck as those aqua eyes and feathered brow went nonplussed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but this is kinda official Element of Harmony business. Mind if I borrow Luna for a minute? Alone?”

“Oh, certainly. Let me just get some fresh bandages on our dear and—”

“Atavia.” said Luna as gently as she could, gingerly taking the gauze roll from her with slow moving magic grips. “I can get these on. I’m very sorry, but if you’d please?”

She gave a couple slow blinks at Luna before the muscles beside her beak pulled up. The smile never reached her eyes, though, as she told her: “Alright, my lady. I understand.”

“It was, um… nice meeting you?” Rainbow felt terribly awkward, the feathers all along her wings feeling slightly just out of place as she watched Atavia rise and bow to the two of them.

“You as well, Rainbow.” She lingered by the door a moment yet, eyes holding upon Luna as her magic set the bandaging to covering her wounds. Then she was gone, closing the door gently behind her.

For some odd reason, Rainbow found herself letting go of a held breath. “Wow, Luna. A run in with nightingale syndrome? That a new experience for you?”

Luna tried not to whine as she taped off the gauze and set her sheets back down. She could feel a tiny bit of warmth and immediately regretted being so jumpy at something as banal as window tapping. “I… don’t know what that is. And I’m not sure I want to.”

Rainbow decided to answer her curiosity just the same. “Eh, knowing might help, since you’re a librarian; it happens in a few classic novels. It’s when a healer falls for their healee.”

“Ah.” Luna mused flatly. “Well, I’m afraid she’s not my healer. Besides, the poor thing was already infatuated with me before I was trapped in bed.”

“Wow.” Rainbow pursed her lips and nodded. Giving her a sly look, she said: “Guess some of that old charm works pretty nice.”

Luna’s hoof ran along the ridge of her nose. Her consternated eyes gawked up at the ceiling. “If I’m being perfectly honest, this has been rather frustrating.”

“She have it that bad?” asked Rainbow, equal parts churlish and sympathetic.

“It rather isn’t her.” said Luna with an air of defeat as she leaned back into the pillows stacked high against the head of the bed frame. “It took me all too long of a time to accept… this part of myself. And suddenly, now that I have, there have been just… so many ladies.” A dry laugh escaped her as she added: “It’s like they can smell it.”

The playful air Rainbow was putting on left her. She wasn’t sure whether she was green with envy, or if she felt weirdly sorry for her. “Things are, uh, probably pretty different from back in your time… I guess, so… good job?”

There came a shuffling noise as Luna’s head shook against the pillows. “That’s just it. I might have some small sense of pride in fetching so many… very lovely eyes, if I’m being honest. Except it never feels like they’re looking at me. Not really.”

Rainbow hesitated. She wasn’t terribly sure what to say to that. It didn’t help that she was still awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. So she made her way around the bed and took to the now emptied bedside chair. “Whaddya mean?”

Luna sighed, still gazing vacantly up at the ceiling. “All too often, those smitten with me see what I am, but not who I am. There is an idea of a Luna in their heads. Hero of myth fallen from grace. Returned home to save the land she once threatened. The powerful mage warrior, whose strong hooves can carry and save them. How they swoon over her.”

Rainbow looked at her, tight lipped. When Luna saw her consternated face, she smirked.

“You didn’t come here for sour romantics and commiseration. I’ll stop.”

Rainbow shook her head and held up her hooves. “No, wait, hang on. Sorry, I just wasn’t sure what to say. I actually…” She sat back down, a bit more relaxed in her shoulders. “I kinda appreciate this. You’re being really real with me right now. I was, uh, just talking to somepony earlier about how friends can do that for each other. Be really real, ya know?”

“Real.” repeated Luna. She tried to wrap her mind around Rainbow’s meaning. Was she not a real person? Or did she come off as inauthentic at times? Musing aloud, she said: “Perhaps there is a certain authenticity to shared vulnerability.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Rainbow motioned for her. “So if you wanna finish your thought, I’d be happy to hear it.”

Luna blinked at her a moment before looking straight ahead. “Well. That’s about it, really. I’ve found my heart belongs to the fairer sort, but so many of them seem to me to have shallow attractions for me in kind.” She shrugged. “Many, I imagine, still think of me as though I’m still royalty as well. I cannot help feeling it’s why Twilight or queen Atavia became so enamored with me so quickly.”

“Princess Twilight has a crush on you?” said Rainbow bouncing upright in her seat. Her shock only grew when she threw her gaze toward the door. “That was the griffin queen in here?!”

Luna couldn’t help but be amused as Rainbow stammered about how rude she must have come across to foreign royalty. When the poor thing wondered aloud if she’d be reprimanded for not having bowed or offered to kiss any rings, Luna calmly told her: “I’m sure it’s more than fine, Rainbow, don’t worry. She’s much too sweet to have a grudge over that.”

Rainbow peeked up from her mortified hooves. “A real sweetheart, eh?”

Luna’s gaze rolled away from her with a groan. She almost thought she’d take another stabbing than the coming interrogation. “Nothing untoward happened between us, I swear. The rumors floating through this castle—I-I turned her down.”

“Whoa, hang on.” Rainbow scooted her chair a little closer, regaining her churlish demeanor. “I was just messing with you, but now you’ve gotta spill.”

She somewhat snapped at her. “She knocked on my door that night after I humored her with a dance, now the entire staff, and castle guard, and even some of my own peers think something uncouth happened between us.” Her words dripped with ire. “Do you all really think me so shameless? So unable to simply not indulge myself?”

Rainbow reeled from her, wings bristling. She held up her hooves. “You’re right, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything.”

Luna gripped again at her sides. Getting worked up like that was not in her best interest. “A-and I’m sorry, that wasn’t meant for you—you’re just trying to gossip with me. It’s them I’m frustrated with. But…” She looked away. “Well, it wouldn’t have been right, so it honestly pains me that they think so little of me.”

She cocked her head at Luna. “Not right how exactly?”

“She was drunk for one thing.” Luna’s gaze slowly swiveled back towards her friend and compatriot. Even if things were unsteady between them at the moment, she still felt that way about her. “And woefully infatuated with a mare I’m not, for another.”

“Okay.” Rainbow nodded and crossed her hooves. “Ya just gotta let her down real easy like. Let her know she’s not your type.”

A bitter smile cracked Luna’s facade. “Hmph. She would be, under better circumstances. I do appreciate her sardonic wit.” She sighed, then added: “More importantly, however, my affections at the moment belong to another. I simply couldn’t spend the night with her if I couldn’t promise her more. That wouldn’t have been right.”

“Yeesh. I feel like I’ve walked into one of Rarity’s trashy romance novels.” She slumped before thinking she ought to amend that statement. “Except, obviously, you’re being, like, way more reasonable and mature.”

“Snrk.” Luna covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Well, thank you.”

Rainbow looked down at her hoof, hesitating. Then, she reached over and gently pat Luna on the shoulder. “And uh, thanks to you too. For being real with me.” Withdrawing the hoof, she ran it across the back of her neck. “You… still feel pretty strongly about Pinkie, though, huh? I mean, if a pretty number like that can’t take your mind off her.”

Luna nodded very slowly. “Things are certainly complicated between us, to say the least. But I still want to try again. She’s been… well, all of you girls really, you’ve all seen me for who I am and not what, like I said. I appreciate you all very much.”

“But you appreciate Pinkie more.” she said back. It wasn’t a question, merely an observation, and an invitation for her to continue if she liked. Rainbow’s leveled gaze was not pressing, but curious enough.

Luna couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s great.” Slowly but surely, Rainbow smiled back. She fidgeted her hooves together. “I meant what I said back there on Nightmare Night. About you two getting along so great. Even if I kinda said it in a really sour way.”

Luna’s smile faded.

“I kinda said some other things at the time. Some of which I regret.” She looked down at her hooves. “I still think I’m right to be mad at you, of course. But. I’m sorry for that bit about how I should never have trusted you. That was too far of me and just… really uncool.”

“Rainbow.” Luna reached out and placed a hoof on hers. “I’ve already long since forgiven that. I know all too well how pain can drive one to speak more venomously than they otherwise might. I’ve seen it on my fair share of battlefields.”

Rainbow balked at that. Grimacing, she told her: “I don’t really think that’s a great excuse, but okay.”

“Fair enough.” said Luna solemnly.

Rainbow placed a hoof over Luna’s. “Look, though. I was hurt. Not just my wing. Friends are…” she said, thinking back to her conversation with Scootaloo, “we’re supposed to have each other’s backs. And what you kept from us, it didn’t feel to me like you had ours. I know you thought you did, but…”

“You’re right. I thought I could keep you girls safe. I wanted to protect you, because you all mean so much to me.” Luna nodded her head slowly at her. “But keeping you in the dark clearly made things worse. Perhaps I too have struggled to pull my mind out of how I ought to act when I was still sitting royalty. How, when sitting over a people, we choose to leave out the frightening details, telling ourselves it was to their benefit.”

Rainbow stared at her, trying to understand.

“That’s not an excuse for my actions, merely an explanation.” She pat Rainbow’s hoof. “I want to leave that behind me, I really do. I want to do better by the ponies I care about most—and not just because you’ve joined me in my role as guardians.”

Rainbow felt at the necklace she was still wearing. Part of her felt like it still hadn’t quite sunk in how heavy it truly was. “Right.” she muttered. It grew quiet between them. So she made to fill the space. “I really shoulda had this conversation with you the day after. But… I was still pretty mad.”

“And I suppose I can’t blame you. But on whatever’s left of my good name, Rainbow, I promise you.” She nodded firmly. “I’ll never betray your trust again.”

“Every trouble, every danger.” spoke Rainbow, meeting her eyes. She lifted Luna’s hoof and clenched it between them with her own. “We face down together. As a team—as a family even.”

“Together every time, always to have each other’s backs.” Luna returned Rainbow’s eager, toothy grin. Then Rainbow’s faltered, replaced by trepidation.

“Okay, ‘family’ might have been a bit off there. I don’t think of some of the girls like that, exactly.”

Luna chuckled. “As friends then.”

“The sort who will grab each other out of freefall. Which, thanks for that, by the way. Shoulda already said that by now too.”

It was finally Luna’s turn to wear the sort of confident, playful grin she always saw Rainbow wearing. “Anytime. After all, what are friends for?”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

How much slice of life stuff does this story have?