Red Strings, White Chains

by Undome Tinwe

Something Blue

"Hail, fair Rarity!"

Rarity turned to see a familiar blue alicorn walking towards her. "Luna!" She gave her a polite nod of acknowledgement and a smile. "How lovely to see you!"

"Aye." Luna gestured towards a pair of couches next to her. "I regret that I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with you since your engagement to my sister. Alas, my duties and mine unusual schedule have kept me from this task. Will you share a drink with me?"

There was something Rarity needed to do, but it could wait. "Certainly."

They sat down, and Luna poured out a glass of amber liquid for each of them. "I had not realized that your relationship had become so intimate as to warrant marriage. The passage of time is peculiar to those of us who are eternal."

"So I've gathered," Rarity said, taking a glass with her magic.

"Under normal circumstances, this would be where I test your worthiness to stand by my sister's side," Luna commented as she took her own drink. "I have a duty to Equestria, you understand, and must ensure that it is protected at all times. Love is a powerful and dangerous force, especially when an alicorn is involved, and a princess' consort could do much harm with the power granted unto her."

"I see." A tension filled the room, and Rarity studied the lunar princess for clues as to her next move. "Are we to battle with steel or wits, then? Because if it is the former, I must admit I'm quite rusty with a blade, but I shall do my best to not embarrass myself."

Luna snorted. "My sister does not need a warrior to protect her from physical threats."

"I suppose not," Rarity murmurred. "A shame. There's something quite thrilling about dueling another pony for the sake of love, even if I'd rather be the one being dueled over."

"There are many qualities that a consort must possess," Luna said. "True love, certes, but that is not always enough. A selfish lover who places her relationship above duty could lead to ruin for Equestria. A generous heart and a willingness to sacrifice oneself for others is required as well." She smirked at Rarity, and the tension melted away. "I doubt I have need to examine these virtues in you."

Rarity toyed with the purple gem around her necklace, the Element of Generosity itself that she earned so many years ago. "I do believe they've been plenty tested before, yes."

"Quite," Luna replied. "As I have no desire to be struck by the power of the Elements once again, I shall instead congratulate you on your impending nuptials." It was always difficult to read Luna's emotions, especially when she always used such formal language, but Rarity could feel the respect coming from her words, and appreciated them.

"Thank you," she said, then smiled. "So, is testing the virtues of mortals a hobby that runs in the family, then?"

Luna shrugged. "Celestia loves her little games, and as Mistress of Dreams, I have provided intelligence to her that has turned the tides of wars in the past. After all, what better place to learn what truly lurks within a pony's heart than a realm of her own creation?"

A shiver coursed down Rarity's spine as she absently swirled the liquid in her glass around. "That's rather... disconcerting," she said softly.

"Only if you are an enemy of Equestria," Luna replied. "We have strict laws that prevent me from using a pony's dreams against them in peacetime, and even in war, there are moral limits to what I will do. For now, I am content to spend time with my future sister-in-law, and converse with her as if it were the waking world."

Rarity stiffened at that. "Excuse me?"

Luna chuckled. "Do you recall how you came to be here?"

"Well, I had some rather important business in the throne room. I was supposed to be..." Rarity paused, struggling to recall why she had been headed there. Then, something else occurred to her. "I'm not entirely certain how I came to be here either."

She glanced around the room, and found that she was in a room decorated like one of the palace's sitting rooms, but situated right in the hallway leading to the throne room. The landscape outside the windows were all wrong, too, flickering between moonlit meadows and city skylines with no sense of continuity.

"Oh," Rarity finally said, turning back to face Luna. "This is a dream, then."

Luna nodded. "You are a very busy mare, and I did not wish to take more time out of your day, when I could simply visit you at night so that you would have no other engagements."

"I appreciate the efficiency," Rarity replied, "though, know that I will always make time for you, Luna. I know we haven't had many chances to spend time together when Equestria wasn't in danger, but I do consider you a friend, and we shall be family whenever this blasted wedding actually happens."

"Thank you," Luna said politely. "So, I take it that arrangements have been going poorly?"

"They're going about as well as can be expected when one of the brides is Princess Celestia herself." Rarity concentrated in her cup before sipping from it, willing the taste to alter. Ah, perfect, she did so love this vintage of red. "The dream of a royal wedding is much more pleasant than the reality, I must say."

"Such is the nature of dreams." The landscape outside one of the windows twisted as Luna spoke, turning from a bright sunny meadow to a sinister-looking forest that glowed with malice. "And yet, dreams are constrained by the limits of our imaginations."

A soft smile played on Rarity's lips. "It's true. I wouldn't give up what I had now for my dream wedding. Being with Celestia has made me far happier than I would have thought possible."

An answering smile from Luna. "I am truly happy for the two of you. My sister deserves all the happiness in the world for all she has done."

"I couldn't agree more." Rarity took another sip of her wine, hiding her smile behind the glass. "And you deserve it as well. I hope to one day meet the pony who steals your heart."

Luna did not have her sister's talent for concealing her feelings, and a blush coloured her cheeks as she turned away. "Unfortunately, the chances of two immortals finding love in the same century are astronomical at best."

Celestia really was the better liar. Rarity's smile turned predatory as she spoke. "Ah, but are you not the princess of the stars? Surely such odds are foal's play for you, especially if a pony has already caught your eye."

Luna let out a gasp at that. "How did you know?" she demanded, sounding panicked at having her secret revealed.

Rarity waved off her concern with a hoof. "I wasn't sure until you just played your hoof, darling. No worries, your secret is safe with me. Whomever they are, I'm sure they're wonderful, and perhaps I'll even be able to stop Celestia from performing her own tests of character on them."

That got a snort from Luna. "It is too late for that. Celestia has been testing her for a very long time."

Now it was Rarity's turn to gasp. "Oh, stars, surely it's not...?" She grinned. "Does Twilight Sparkle know you have feelings for her?"

"Nay!" Luna hastily replied. "Please do not tell her!"

"I won't," Rarity promised. "But if I may ask, why haven't you confessed to her yet?"

"Because she is Twilight Sparkle," Luna said simply. "One such as her deserves a much more worthy partner."

Rarity set down her glass and turned her full attention to Luna. "If I thought that way, I would never have ended up engaged to Celestia. Also, you are a princess of Equestria, though I know Twilight doesn't care for such titles. But she does care about what lurks within a pony's heart and mind, and I can't imagine she wouldn't find a pony who has spent her immortal life studying secret magic and defending the dream realm without any thanks unworthy of her romantic interests."

"Do you truly believe that?" Hope glimmered in Luna's eyes.

"I do," Rarity replied sincerely. "And I would love nothing more than to help you explore your feelings with Twilight. Have you considered asking her if she needs help with planning the wedding? Doubtless your expertise in the arcane will be invaluable, given the number of odd magical logistics that a royal wedding seems to attract."

Luna placed a hoof on her chin. "Hmm, I suppose I could offer my services in strengthening the wards against the Night Terrors. With so many creatures of great power converging for the ceremonies, there is no doubt that they will attempt to attack at some point through the Veil of Dreams."

Rarity very deliberately did not think too hard about that statement, and kept her smile light and cheerful. "That's the spirit! No matter how this turns out, I don't doubt that you won't regret growing closer to Twilight. She's a remarkable mare."

"That she is. Thank you, Rarity, for your support." Luna bowed her head. "I am unused to the ways of modern courtship."

"It's no trouble at all, and really, I'll be the one benefiting from you helping Twilight with the wedding."

"It would be my honour to make the celebration of your union with Celestia the greatest it can be," Luna said, standing up. "Welcome to our family, sister mine."

Tears welled up in Rarity's eyes. "Oh, Luna," she whispered, standing up herself and walking over to hug her new family member. "Thank you so much. It means the world to me that you approve of us."

"I can think of no better partner for Celestia." Luna's head cocked to one side as she stared at something behind Rarity. "Ah, I believe it is almost time for you to wake." Her horn glowed. "I would leave you with a gift before we part."

With a flash of magic, a sapphire necklace appeared in front of her, the central gem glowing with arcane energy. "This jewel contains a sliver of my power," Luna explained as she floated it over towards Rarity. "If you wear it in your sleep, its magic will grant you lucidity during any nightmares you might encounter, and allow you the ability to transform it into a dream of your choosing. With the stress of your upcoming nuptials, I don't doubt you'll have need of this."

Rarity took the necklace reverently in her hooves. "Oh my, this is a beautiful accessory," she commented as she put it on. "And I will certainly make plenty use of it. Thank you, Luna. I hope to see you again soon, here or in the waking world."

"I have my duties, but I will find time to spend with my new sister." Luna winked. "After all, I have plenty of embarrassing stories to share from when my sister and I were young, and I am sure you would make good use of that knowledge."

"I look forward to hearing all of them." With that, Rarity felt the world begin to fade, and a moment later, she opened her eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the window, directly onto her face, and she blinked away the offending light. She was lying in Celestia's bed, alone, which was usual for when she slept over at the palace. After all, Celestia had to wake early to raise the Sun.

Making a mental note to find her and wish her a good morning before going on with her day, Rarity's hoof instinctively pressed against her chest, and she was somewhat surprised to find something hanging around her neck. She bent her head down and saw the familiar glint of the sapphire necklace in her hooves.

So, it had all been a dream, but that hadn't made it any less real. Rarity smiled as she climbed out of bed and placed the necklace in her saddlebags, ready to face the day with the knowledge that she was accepted by the Night.

Comments

[SigmasonicX]

Ah, so for blue, you went with Luna.
It's nice seeing Rarity interact with her future sister-in-law, and seeing the start of another romance.

[Noc]

This is probably my favorite chapter so far. Very nice. (Fitting title, too.)