• Published 21st Dec 2012
  • 3,216 Views, 289 Comments

Whatever It Takes, I Love You - Tatsurou



Sequel to "Technicolor Dreams" and "Like Sisters". Rainbow Dash adopted Scootaloo, but that's only the beginning of the story.

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Dreams and Blood

15. Dreams and Blood

Slowly she wandered in the shadowed lands. She had been here many times before, and thought she knew them well. However, they were far darker then they once had been, and she found herself frightened of every noise from just out of sight. Every cracked stick, every rustle of leaves sent her heart rate soaring in fear.

Turning, she saw them behind her, the monsters of the land. Creatures of shadow, they hunted this place, seeking the fear on which they fed. Many times had she faced and banished each of these monsters...but she knew that this time, she was powerless against them.

Racing forward, she sought to escape the monsters that vengefully pursued her. Her four hooves made too much noise upon the dark ground, and she knew she would not escape them or be able to hide. Seeing other ponies ahead, she ran to them, hoping for shelter or aid...but slowed as she saw the way they looked at her.

The hunger in these ponies eyes had nothing to do with food. The heat in their eyes - the desire - as she saw within them the things they wanted to do to her filled her with more fear then the monsters. Turning, she fled in a third direction, cursing her wings, soaked by fear sweat, that would not allow her to get airborne.

She did not run far before she saw the true fear that haunted her days...the monster from inside her, the one that had destroyed her once. She rose before her, her grin wide as she laughed mirthlessly.

Turning, she tried to flee, only to reach a terrible precipice jutting out into absolute darkness. She knew there would be no escape that way, as the abyss held only death. However, as the monsters, the ponies, and her own darkness approached. She could only back closer and closer to the edge...until the horrible moment when she felt her hooves slip and she fell backward, screaming into the abyss.

A soundless explosion of all colors of light drove the darkness back beyond her sight. Landing lightly upon a fluffy white cloud, she stared around at the cyan sky crested by twin rainbows. The cloud upon which she sat lifted her up, filling her with peace and contentment, driving from her mind all her fears.

The sky opened twin windows, and she stared into mirror bright pools of magenta. "Are you alright, Luna?" the sky asked her as she awoke.

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

"Hey, Luna," Rainbow nudged her bedmate. "You okay? You kept tossing and turning."

Luna blinked slowly, staring into Rainbow Dash's eyes. "I am well now, beloved," she said quietly, secretly pleased at how much her companion blushed whenever she used this appelation. "It was merely a nightmare."

Rainbow stared at her in surprise. "The Princess of the Night has nightmares?"

Luna sighed. "Yes. While I can banish the bad dreams of other ponies and aid them in discovering how to overcome them, I am...powerless when my own dreamscape turns against me. While if I recognize it's nature as a dream I can banish it completely and awaken myself...some nightmares catch me unawares, especially since I first became Nightmare Moon."

Rainbow nuzzled her quietly. "You guard the dreams of everypony in Equestria...but who's there to guard yours?"

Luna sighed. "When I am much younger, Tia watches over my sleep. As I grow older, I must rely more and more upon my own awareness." She smiled. "But right now, I have you."

Rainbow smiled. "So...wanna talk about it? Maybe we can figure out how to make sure you don't have these dreams."

Luna sighed. "Unfortunately, this particular nightmare has haunted me for eons. First, I flee from the monsters I see in other ponies dreams, representative of those fears I cannot help them to overcome. Then...I flee from my own subjects, who look upon me in...ways I would prefer they not." She coughed uncomfortably, unsure how to explain further.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "So just how many wet dreams have you accidentally walked in on because the pony in question was calling out to you?"

Luna flushed. "Far too many...and few were at all pleasant. It is...unnerving, the things some ponies secretly desire to do to me." Deciding to change the subject a bit, she continued to describe the dream. "Then, I encounter Nightmare Moon, the everpresent spectre of my own undoing, my powers destroying me and leaving only a monster in their wake. Unable to face up to my duty, my subjects, or myself...I come to a cliff that juts into the abyss of death...and fall for all eternity."

Rainbow looked on sadly. "...not much I can do to help you get over that, huh?"

Luna nuzzled Rainbow Dash. "Just you being with me is enough, beloved. Holding you tight, my fears melt away."

Rainbow smiled, nuzzling Luna's neck. "Well, I doubt if either of us is going to get to sleep at this point, seeing as that's all I've done all day, so how about we talk?"

Luna chuckled. "Very well. I think that would be most enjoyable." She glanced towards the clock, and chuckled again. "It is about the time these talks began, anyway."

Looking at the clock to see what Luna meant, Dash chuckled. "Not sure if that's irony or karma." She shifted her weight slightly, trying to get comfortable against Luna without aggravating the still sensitive healing injuries. "So...how about you tell me about your parents? I don't think I've ever heard anything about them, though I've heard you mention both your mother and father at times, and you seem to remember them fondly."

Luna looked somewhat nervous. "That...is a rather long and complicated story, and...some of it is a state secret."

Rainbow blinked. "Well, we could talk about something else-"

"No, I wish to tell you," Luna interrupted. "Just...don't tell Celestia that I did, alright?"

Rainbow grinned. "As Rarity would say, pillow talk is private."

Luna chuckled. "Well, first the details of which that are matters of public record. Luna and I had the same parents, and our mother was Princess Platinum."

Rainbow blinked. "Seriously? The one Rarity played that one time in the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant?"

"The very same. She played the part quite well actually." Luna frowned. "She was unmarried when Celestia began to grow in her womb, and claimed the child was of divine origin. When Tia was born an Alicorn - with equal parts magic from all three races - Equestria saw this as proof that this was true, and when I was born several years later - again, to a Princess Platinum who was unmarried - it was deemed a sign from the gods, and we two have ruled Equestria together by divine mandate ever since...save for the millenia I was sealed on the moon. Equestria's flag was not made until AFTER my birth, mostly because before that time the three tribes - while living peacefully - still couldn't agree on the flag's design. No tribe wanted to fly a flag designed by the others, as that would have made them feel subject to the other races. Tia actually designed the flag as her first act as Solar Ruler."

Rainbow's eyes were wide. "Wow. That's...pretty awesome."

Luna nodded. "It's also entirely hogwash, as far as the divine intervention is concerned. As far as Celestia and I are able to determine - and as far as our mother knew - no gods were involved in our conception."

Rainbow smirked. "Politics, huh? So who was your father, then? He had to have been important, so he was probably mentioned in history...hmm, couldn't be another unicorn, so not Starswirl..."

Luna chuckled. "You won't figure it out with logic, some generations after his passing, we amended history to remember him as a mare."

Rainbow blinked. "Then who was he?"

"Well...the simple answer is it was General Hurricane."

Rainbow coughed in shock. "What?"

"The full story is rather more complex, however."

"Well what are you waiting for, tell!"

Luna chuckled at Rainbow's eagerness. "Well, first off, Hurricane was not the usual sort of Pegasus to acheive dominance over the tribe. For that matter, tribe dominance was not decided the same way in each tribe. Unicorn leadership was hereditary. Earth Pony leadership was decided by elections. Pegasus leadership...was decided by rite of combat."

Rainbow squealed quietly. "So Hurricane was General because he was the baddest of the bad?"

Luna nodded. "Indeed. We don't know the full story, but his parentage was unknown, even to him. Also, in combat, he would go into berserker rages where he fought with frightening ferocity. In normal circumstances, he was actually weaker than other pegasi...but in that state he once drove a dragon from pegasi domain, nearly killing it in the process...and suffered no injuries in return save intense fatigue."

Rainbow blinked. "Wow," she said breathlessly.

Luna smiled. "While Hurricane was intensely stubborn, quick to anger, and could be ferocious...he was intensely protective of his aide-de-camp, Private Pansy...who became his wife after the Unification."

Rainbow blinked. "So...how'd she feel about him getting it on with Princess Platinum?"

Luna chuckled. "There's more to the story, love." She smiled. "After the unification, Pansy thought Hurricane would settle easily...but the berserker rages began to come without warning, and the only one he wouldn't hurt during that time was her...although several times it came very close. Apparently, Hurricane was a throw back to the feral pegasi, and his primal urges were incredibly strong. She did discover, however, that by indulging...other primal urges on a more frequent basis, it lessened both the frequency and intensity of his...rage fits." Luna smirked. "However, she lacked the...stamina to keep up with him on her own, so she arranged for several likely mares to...appease their general. Needless to say, she also saw to it that his - numerous - illegitamate children were provided for at least as well as the three she bore him."

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "She...she picked out mistresses for him? Why?"

Luna smiled softly. "Because of how much she loved him. Although they often quarrled, her loyalty to him was unshakable, and dates to before he became general. She arranged for him to receive from others that which he needed that she was physically incapable of providing."

Rainbow nodded, having trouble processing this. "And...was the Princess one of these?"

Luna shook her head. "No. During one of the meetings with the three leaders - Hurricane, Platinum, and Puddinghead - Hurricane had brought along some homebrewed, high quality wine brewed from the nectar of certain flowers in Pansy's garden. They drank deeply of it to relax and..." Luna smiled. "One virile stallion plus two energetic mares. Need I say more?"

Rainbow laughed so hard she would have rolled off the bed if Luna hadn't steadied her. "Oh my gosh...too much..."

Luna smiled. "Yes. When it turned out Platinum was foaling, she was actually pleased. You see, her parents were trying to arrange a proper noble marraige for her, but...none of the nobles appealed to her in the slightest."

Rainbow grinned. "Like trying to match Rarity to Blueblood?"

Luna shook her head. "The nobles back then made Blueblood look like Big Macintosh." Rainbow stared in shock. "While Blueblood has a...poor way of showing it, he does genuinely care about the land of Equestria. The unicorn nobles of that day and age only cared about themselves."

Rainbow nodded. "So claiming divine insemination meant she didn't have to get married."

Luna smiled. "Indeed. And she was quite...appreciative of Hurricane's rakish charm and skills in Chaos Chess."

Rainbow blinked. "Chaos Chess?"

Luna smiled. "It's like ordinary chess, but it's played on a board that changes shape randomly. It was favored of the unicorn educated elite, and required a strong tactical mind to grasp, let alone excel. For most unicorns, it was an unparalleled mental challenge. For Hurricane, it was relaxing fun...and he almost never lost."

Rainbow grinned. "I take it Platinum enjoyed the challenge?"

Luna grinned. "She was the champion of the game amongst the unicorns. Encountering someone who could beat her and make it look so easy...was quite the turn on for her."

Rainbow chuckled. "I'm surprised you don't have more siblings, then."

Luna shook her head. "After my sister, Platinum did not conceive again - no matter how many times she was with Hurricane - until the next time Puddinghead was involved as well. That's when I was born."

Rainbow blinked as a thought occured to her. "So...did this result in Puddinghead getting pregnant, too?"

"Yes. She gave birth to Discord."

"YOU'RE JOKING!"

Luna chuckled. "Yes, but you beleived it, didn't you?" As Rainbow laughed with her, Luna continued. "She did have a child from that union, however...and Earth Pony with unusual magical capabilities. Celestia has kept track of that bloodline and says that those abilities have cropped up rather frequently."

Rainow's eyes went very wide. "...Pinkie Pie?" she barely whispered.

Chuckling, Luna nodded.

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

Scootaloo backed up against the tree, her rage once more casting a red tone over everything she saw. The timberwolves once more surrounded her, their eyes hungry, seeking to devour her and her sister. Once more Scootaloo threw herself into the fray. Once more she tore the timberwolves apart.

Every night since Rainbow Dash had returned home healthy, she had had this dream. She saw everything she had done to the timberwolves in protecting Rainbow. She saw and felt her ferocity, her brutality. The first time, she had woken up at the end of it and run to the bathroom to vomit. Succesive times, she had slowly accepted that she had done this, and had begun to embrace it, fascinated by the efficiency and skill she had shown in battle...and how lucky she had been to escape with so little injury.

Each time, the spectral voice that seemed to speak from her blood became clearer and clearer. This time, she ignored the battle and focused on the voice. It was clear as day this time, instructing her on how to fight, where to strike, how to sense the weakpoints of her foes, how to use her pegasus magic to redirect the air so that a lunge would miss.

When the battle concluded, she turned towards Rainbow Dash...but she wasn't there. The dream had changed. The Everfree Forest faded back into grey clouds, and all that was left was her and the blood she had shed.

The blood moved across the ground, collecting in a single small pool. Wisps of grey smoke rose up from the puddle of blood, congealing into an image.

The pegasus was pitch black, his mane as white as clouds. His eyes were a steely grey. His Cutie Mark was very distinctive, putting Scootaloo in mind of an image she'd once seen of what a tropical ocean storm looked like from above, if one hovered straight over the eye.

The pegasus flared his wings, staring down at Scootaloo through the mist. "It's about time," he said bluntly. "I have much to teach you."

Author's Note:

I'll admit, this is a filler chapter, passing time until Dash fully recovers so I can get to the next major plot points. As such, I'm throwing in whatever story I can come up with that I think will be fun to read/write and testing to see how it works.

The bit with Celestia and Luna's conception was inspired by this video.