bolting through the night

The small hall was filled with chatter from Twilight and Fluttershy, both of them talking or contemplating where Rainbow Bolt was. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie were otherwise quiet but occasionally spoke. As the alicorn and pegasus were talking, the twin crystal doors opened and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight quickly went to her former mentor with a tired look.

"Celestia, we looked everywhere for him, but Rainbow seems to have just vanished."

"Never mind him," Luna said before her sister could speak. "I am sure you all will do well without him."

Shaking her head at her sister, Celestia sat in a chair brought in while Twilight and the others took their respective seats at the table. Silence reiged over them for a moment before Celestia spoke, shattering the silence.

"When the sun is directly over us, you five will move into the castle and weaken Nightmare Moon, afterwards me and my sister will go in and finish her. When you go-"

The doors opened again, and the table gasped. Rainbow Bolt was scowling, with an ugly shiner on the left side of his face, and draped over his back was a white sack with something inside it. He made his way to the table silently, ignoring Rarity's questions about where he was and also about his eye. Sitting, he slid the sack onto the table towards Luna and her sister.

"What is this?" Luna asked tentatively poking the sack.

"What you were to afraid to do yourselves." He said sinking back in his chair while his friends stared at the lunar alicorn as she emptied the sack's contents onto the table, startling them all but rainbow.

"How?" She asked picking up Nightmare's dented helmet. "How did you get this?" She asked sliding it away.

"I took what was left of her," he said taking it in his hooves. "The rest of her just went poof. Turned into goo, bubbled and disappeared. That was all that was left."

"That's where that black eye came from?" Pinkie asked. "You two fought?"

"We did," he said. "She was hiding in Princess Celestia's old bedroom. I had to climb over a pile of rubble in a hall to get there. When I actually saw her though, she was sitting in the moonlight just, without her horn." He said running a hoof over his own forehead.

"She was missing her horn?" Celestia asked. "The amount of magic she had to use must have been phenomenal, so much it taxed even her reserves. She must have used every last drop of magic until her horn overheated, cracked and fell off.  Without her magic, she must have had to defend herself physically."

"That much is obvious," he said. "Neat thing though, she had a rune or something on the wall by the door. When I went in, it set something off and nearly scorched me."

"A rune?" Luna asked narrowing her eyes. "She knew nothing of runes or traps. Plus, without her horn how did she manage to create a rune?" She asked nearly standing on the table.

"How should I know?" He said snorting. "She probably put it there earlier. I didn't have a lot of time to ask her while she was trying to bash my head in." Rainbow said pointing at his eye. "If you all don't need me here anymore, I'm going home to sleep. I think I've deserved a day of relaxation."

Taking the helmet and putting it back in the sac, he slung it over his shoulder and calmly trotted out the doors before taking off in the hall. Making it outside through a window, the sunlight hurt his bad eye, but he kept rising upwards until he was underneath the normal range for clouds. Letting the cool air nurse his wound, he stopped to check if any of his friends were following him. Seeing neither them or the princesses he shot off towards his house letting the wind send the clouds above him cut through them making them into wave pattens.

Watching as the cloud house came into view with the rainbows pumping out the side, he gradually slowed enough the safely glide around it to his front door. Landing gently, he was smiling when his hoof turned the knob and he stepped in.

The living room was empty, not only that but it looked as if there was food there at one time. Crumbs coated part of the small table he had in the middle of the room, and the smell of toast still lingered in the air.

Shutting the door with his back hoof, his eyes wandered to the stairs where recent impressions had been made. Still smiling, he began to ascend the stairs, looking down to see his hoof prints dwarfed by the larger ones of his new guest. Stopping at the top, he turned instinctively towards the bedroom. Seeing the door open, he dropped the sack in the hall and looked in.

Nightmare was laying on the bed, sound asleep with Tank staring at her from the corner of the room. Seeing his owner come in, the tortoise began slowly walking towards him until he saw Rainbow stop at the edge of the bed and nuzzle her.

She stirred slightly and, opening her eyes in a state of relaxation, she smiled and returned it.

"How are you doing?" He asked sliding next to so that they were facing each other.

"Very well." She said. "Better now that you are here. Your pet hasn't taken to me yet," she said nodding towards Tank. "Not many animals of the day trust me."

"He just hasn't gotten to know you." Rainbow said. "Is you magic any stronger? You used quite a bit of it last night." He asked looking at the piece of smooth bone.

"It feels like I have gotten all I could hold." She said hugging a pillow tighter. "It is not nearly as much as I had before, but I am still stronger than the average unicorn. Does your eye feel any better?" She asked running a hoof in his mane.

"Not great, but better." He said.

Laying there, they just looked at each other for a moment before Rainbow edged himself closer so she could hug him. Feeling her fore-legs wrap around his barrel, he let his head rest in the crook of her neck, listening to her softly breathing.

"Rainbow," she said moving her head down to lay on his head. "How long do you think it will be before your friends-"

"They won't." He said cutting her off. "I promise. You're safe here."

Satisfied with the answer, she closed her eyes and was silently going back to sleep when he spoke up, albeit hesitantly it still carried his suggested tone.

"Nightmare," he said feeling uncomfortable. "When me and you were in bed, you weren't... well I thought you were-"

"Pure?" She said giggling. "You would think that, but remember, I made this body from memories, thoughts, feelings and the shape of my host. I could have chosen to be pure, but I thought it was unnecessary, and I also wondered if maybe one day I would have liked to the pleasure of having an heir to the throne. I did not want to go through the pain with the stallion I would have chosen."

"That's... actually pretty smart." He said putting a hoof on her side. "So, when I kissed you, why did you just-I mean why did we just start going at it?"

"That is more complicated." She said. "I only had memories of Luna's life, her feeling and dreams, but none of my own. When you kissed me, that was the first caring memory of my own and I felt happy. I felt loved and all those other memories, Luna's memories, just disappeared. The only ones I had were sad, angry bits, all of them were the same except for the ones last night. I loved that feeling... I love you." She said kissing him on the head.

"I love me too." He said receiving a small jab to the ribs. "I was joking, you know I love you." He said smiling. "Go to sleep, I don't think anypony is coming for a visit any time soon."

"Thank you," she said yawning. "Just to let you know, you need more bread."

"You ate an entire loaf?" He asked craning his neck up to look her in the eyes. "What did you put on it all?"

She merely smiled, showing her fangs before kissing him on the lips and hugging him closer. Sighing, he shook his head and let himself relax in her grip. Shivering though, Nightmare cracked an eye open and shut the window and pulled the blanket over on herself and Rainbow.