The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Chapter 124 - Courtship's End

The night air was cool and crisp over Canterlot on this late autumn evening. The clouds drifted along and the night guard went about patrolling the grounds around the castle. However, despite the hour being close to midnight, several of them looked up with concern as lights could still be seen shining within the princess’s tower.

Dark hooves twitched nervously while a steady gasping of cries whimpered into the blankets. “Shh, shhh… dear sister, everything is alright now,” Celestia whispered while tenderly stroking along the other mare’s back. Laying in Celestia’s bed and while wrapped up in a bundle of blankets, Luna was curled up with her head supported across her older sister’s lap. There the usually stoic princess was doing all she could to calm herself down while still frantically heaving from her chest in between her heavy sobs. “I’m surprised… as I cannot ever remember seeing you so frightened by a nightmare before. But I am with you and I have no intention of leaving your side.”

Sitting up slowly and while still fidgeting in a panic, Luna whimpered out, “Oh sister, I dare not even describe to you what manner of things it is I saw tonight.” She sniffled out as she held onto herself tightly. “Never hath I ever encountered a mind so rife with self-doubt and insecurity. Just witnessing the twisted figure in which Rayne sees himself as was heartbreaking enough. But to see the extent to which his emotions torment him… I have no words to describe it.” Luna paused while just staring into the distance as she remembered.

Clearing her throat now as this had been the first time her sister had actually been able to speak tonight, Celestia reached out to hold Luna’s hooves before asking, “Tell me, Luna, what happened?”

Snapping back to reality, Luna looked at her sister and nodded before taking a deep breath to try to still her hooves which had yet to stop shaking. “I entered into Rayne’s dreams, and given recent events, was not surprised to find that I encompassed a vast majority of his thoughts. Now we all have an overcritical voice in our minds that can get the better of us from time to time. However, Tia, it was as if Rayne had become completely overtaken by his. Try as I might, I could not even locate his mental self-image beyond what memories he tormented himself with, until I traveled deep, deep down into his subconscious.”

Reaching up to comfort Luna’s cheek, Celestia was relieved to see a small smile across her sister’s face even if it had only been for a moment. “And I assume… that it is very unusual for that to be the case?”

With an exuberant nod, Luna replied, “Oh, yes! Very much so!” Now lifting a cup of tea which had been left ignored until this point, Luna continued to say, “Rayne’s mind was so incredibly layered. The absolute depths of what he could imagine were like traversing the many floors of a palace that seemed to spiral on without end. Tia sister, I will admit to you in confidence that sometimes the dreams of ponies can be a bit two-dimensional. But that was certainly not the case with Rayne. If anything, I would say his mind was beautiful and fascinating, had it not been the most frightening thing I had ever seen.”

“Hmm,” Celestia mumbled. “Lu, you have never been one to spook so easily. So then I must assume that for you to come back in such a state, the guilt you found in Rayne’s mind must have been overwhelming. But I want to hear it from you directly, was that indeed the case?”

To this Luna had to cast her gaze away and Celestia looked nervous after seeing a new tear line streaming down her sister’s face. “No…” Luna whispered remorsefully. “What I saw… was the mind of a pony alone who had called out for help but with no others there to support him. Someone who was failed by those around him and who had loved ones turn on him unexpectedly when he’d needed them most.” Luna wept as she set down her tea and reached out for Celestia’s hoof for support. “Believe me, dear sister, there was guilt. But only in his own fears, which it pains me to say, seem far deeper than even my own at my darkest of days.”

Knowing her sister and her penchant for being dramatic, Celestia frowned now even as she was trying to be supportive. “Now Luna, surely it was distressing. But I highly doubt it was as bad as all that.” However, the look that suddenly shot out from her younger sister’s expression actually frightened the older alicorn to see.

“Oh no, Tia dear. Then I am sorry to say that I have not been successful in conveying Rayne’s emotions to you at all.” Luna gravely stated and she flinched as images of creatures most horrific flashed in her mind. “I know you disapprove of me recanting on this memory, but you remember well when I admitted to you about the Tantabus beast I created to punish myself with so many years ago.”

“Yesss, I do.” Celestia grimaced while struggling to pull her hoof free from the death grip Luna was holding her with now.

“For as horrible as that fiendish abomination had grown to be, I fear that even in a hundred years of working to accomplish nothing else, I still would not be successful in recreating an entity so self-deprecating as the fear that exists within Rayne’s nightmares.” Luna proclaimed, leaving Celestia to sit there as her eye twitched while pondering such a possibility. “Rayne fears so strongly about being a disappointment to others, while also feeling helpless against his certainty that it will come to pass. And this manifests inside his subconscious in the form of horrors that it would be uncouth of me as a princess to put into words.”

“Well,” Celestia remarked as she swallowed uneasily to that explanation. “So, he does not seem guilty of any misdeeds then?” She pushed, hoping to stray away from the current topic.

Luna just shook her head and finally eased her tensed hold on Celesta’s hoof. “No, not that I saw. The only thing that Rayne would appear guilty of is perhaps the need to speak to a proper counselor because it is clear that he still carries wounds on his heart from unknown circumstances of his past. I literally could find no joy within his mind, other than the fear of being kept from all that he loves by his own self-doubt and misconstrued notions of inadequacy.”

Celestia frowned again, but this time it was out of concern as opposed to any scorn towards Luna or the stallion. “It makes me wonder… if you are now so sure that it was not done as a form of concealment, then for what purpose did Rayne drink the Disdream Elixir?”

Luna looked up as if to speak, but then she faltered as she realized she did not have the answer. “I… why I do not know. Nowhere in his mind did I see when he first started taking it or for what purpose that he did so.” However, not a moment later Luna suddenly stood up on her hooves and looked around as if having an idea. “Hold, what time is it?! Forgive me Tia but I must go!”

“What?!” Celestia exclaimed before standing up as well. “Go?! Go where? Luna, you have hardly been in any sort of state to-” But she was interrupted by the assured and tender expression on her sister’s face.

“Thank you, sister. Thank you for being here for me tonight and I know that I have been an utter mess since calling out for you after traversing Rayne’s dreams. But you have helped me and I am much better for it now. However, while I do not have the remaining answers that I seek, I feel that I know of somepony who might. Rest now, for it is late. And I assure you that I will catch you up on things in the morning.” Celestia nodded and both sisters shared a hug with one another before Luna teleported herself away.

• Ponyville Adjacent -

Water trickled steadily down from a waterfall, just as it always did from the underground cave. Inside Maud’s home there were three individuals present, but all of them were awake despite the late hour which it had become. Sitting in a huddle together, gray hooves were held tenderly by pink ones as Pinkie Pie held her sobbing sister with Anansi sitting nearby supportively.

“Oh, Maud. I am so sooo sorry that you are going through such a hard time right now. I really wish I knew what I could do to help, but I can’t know if there is anything I can do because you won’t tell me what it is that has you so upset.” Pinkie lamented.

Sniffling softly, Maud wiped her nose and sat back up from where she had been leaning over Pinkie’s shoulder. Then after shaking her head, she stated for not the first time that evening, “I’m sorry Pinkie but I really can’t tell you. If you knew what was wrong, I know you would tell your friends and you would all want to get involved to help. And I’m pretty sure that would only make the situation worse.” Pausing now to hold Pinkie by the hoof, Maud continued and said, “I don’t want you to worry though. Just by being here for me, you are already helping more than you know.”

Tilting her head to the side, Pinkie asked, “Really? But I’m just sitting here with you. How is that helping out with something you can’t even tell me?”

With one of her rare and larger smiles, Maud told her, “Because you are my Best Sister Friend Forever.”

“Awwwwwww!” Pinkie cheered as her eyes started to overflow with tears, and then she wrapped her hooves around Maud in a tight hug. Maud just continued to smile and hugged her sister back as the two shared a sweet moment together. Meanwhile, Anansi was also blushing but sat there without interrupting.

Then all three of them looked up in surprise upon hearing a whooshing sound of magic from somepony teleporting into Maud’s cave. With a gasp, they all looked up to see Princess Luna standing before them. At first, she frowned a bit at seeing that Maud had company at the moment. But after shaking that off and deciding that it didn’t really matter, Luna leaned down to the gray earth pony on the ground to ask what she knew she should have asked earlier. “You were saying that the reason why Rayne takes the Disdream Elixir was because…?”

• The Next Morning, Just Before Dawn -

It was with a groggy mind and a stiff body that Rayne eventually began to stir. The stallion groaned out feeling far from rested, but before he had even opened his eyes, his heart plummeted from already remembering recent events which had transpired. Tightening his grip in frustration, Rayne wished he could have just stayed asleep forever so he wouldn't have to deal with what awaited him. But that was when he became distracted by feeling something soft within the reach of his hoof.

“Wait, what… Is this silk…?” He thought to himself silently. “W-where's the cold stone floor? I feel almost comfortable. What am I lying on?!” As he started to relax, he took a deep breath and realized the environment around him smelt almost pleasant to be in. Slowly opening up his eyes, he saw that he was most assuredly not in a dungeon, as moonlight was streaming around him into the lavishly decorated room. He was surprised to find himself lying upon a soft bed and the furnishings struck him as almost familiar to gaze upon. However, no sooner did he sit up than did his eyes spread wide when he realized why he thought he had been here before.

“Oh no, no-no-no!” He stammered aloud at seeing himself in Luna’s chambers.

“Wait, please!” A feminine voice spoke out to calm him but only achieved the opposite effect.

Rayne screamed when he heard Luna’s voice and fell backwards off the side of the bed as he tried to pull away. After sitting himself up, he saw the princess sitting in a seat beside where he’d been sleeping. However, her face was not its normal pristine self as she had clearly been crying for some time going by how she looked. “What is this? What’s going on?!” He shouted defensively while his eyes darted around the room for guards.

“Please, try to calm down.” She pleaded, but her voice was cracking as she did so.

The stallion just bit his lip but then slowly rose to his hooves while keeping a distance from her. “Why am I here?” He asked her as the hairs of his body were almost standing on end.

Luna slowly rose from her seat and looked at him. “You think this to be some sort of trap for you?” She asked and he nodded. Then as she took only the smallest of steps toward him, she noticed how quickly he took a step back. “And you are frightened of me?”

“At the moment… I am terrified.” He whispered in response and she had seen enough of his psyche to understand how seriously he’d meant that.

Raising a hoof up to her lips she turned away from him. “Rayne, I am so sorry.” She whimpered more to herself than anything. “Please, tell me… why do you now fear me?” She asked with a tone as if she already knew the answer.

A silence followed, with Rayne and Luna both feeling as if they had weights upon their hearts. Even as they spoke to one another, neither one of them could muster more than a whisper. It was as if the situation might explode into something worse if either of them were to speak too loud. “I fear what you have to say, Princess.” Rayne eventually told her after quite a lengthy pause. “I do not know what it is that you saw in my dreams… but fearing that you’ve seen me at my worst, there is only one thing I imagine that you could say.”

“You expect for me to reject you… or to reprimand and chastise you as a fiend for having a mind filled with horrid thoughts.” She surmised, attempting to explicate how his mind works after the insight she had gained about him. Despite this, her eyes could not believe it as she watched him look down with a scowl as if considering himself with revulsion before turning away from her.

“Please do not force me to bear it from your lips. I will leave freely of my own accord.” Rayne said with his back to her now. He considered which option felt like a better escape from this situation, should he walk to her door or rather straight off her balcony. “You don’t have to worry, I will just leave. I’ll leave Ponyville, and I’ll leave Equestria. You don’t ever have to-”

“But Rayne, I could never do that,” Luna whispered to him, and those words pierced through every fiber of his being. Slowly, Rayne dared to look back over his shoulder at her. But contrary to what he’d expected, it wasn’t with scorn or hate that she looked at him. Her eyes were wide and her expression was soft. And it left him breathless as he had not prepared to have her continue to say, “You are not a monster in my eyes, Rayne. And I do not regret to say that I do not know my emotions well enough to not be able to confess that I love you. But tell me, what could have possibly happened in your life to make you hate yourself so much?!” She wept as fresh tears continued to fall from her eyes.

“What did you just say?” Rayne gasped as he turned back to her with all that he’d expected to feel undone. He stared at Luna in disbelief, unable to accept that he had not heard her wrong. “Tell me that again?”

Luna chuckled in between her tears now at Rayne’s amazing ability to flip the emotion in the room all the way around in a single instant. Now offering him a soft smile she admitted, “I think, I might be falling in love with you Rayne.” She said with a clash of smiles and tears upon her face. “Please do not force a mare to be so honest about her emotions. Our relationship is still young, as we have only just started dating. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel something quite significant for you… And I can definitely say with absolute confidence that whatever fears you might be feeling of me not wanting to be with you are entirely without merit.” She punctuated for him after a pause.

If the scene hadn’t been so emotionally intense between them, then Luna might have laughed as Rayne stood frozen from her words with his eyes seeming to dart back and forth between her own. When no doubt ever came in her face, his stance softened as he turned to face her directly. “What are you saying?”

With a sigh, Luna slumped her shoulders and spoke up for the stubborn stallion saying, “I am saying that I was wrong, Rayne. And while I did find information which you were hiding, it was nothing even close to what I had thought. All I found was the sadness and the self-loathing of an individual who was lonely. And most of all, I certainly do not want you to be afraid of me, Rayne. I know you fear that I will rebuff you, but you have grown far too dear to me for that.”

Rayne thought that his heart was going to explode when with a tear-stained face, she suddenly stretched a hoof out toward him. And as he dared to actually take a step toward her, it only made his heart beat faster when she smiled at him welcomingly. Once Rayne had closed the distance and they stood together again, they each closed their eyes and leaned their faces in to caress against one another together. Caressing soon turned into holding, which was followed by a few nervous bumps between their noses. Then as Rayne began to lean his lips in gently, Luna grabbed ahold of him tightly before kissing him firmly without any hesitation.

Finally, Rayne’s body began to relax as he thought that things might actually be alright. Or he would have if Luna hadn’t suddenly pursed up her lips as if to something sour before casting her face away from him and sobbing heavily.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Rayne asked her in confusion, as she had worked so fervently to comfort him, only to now turn from him anyhow.

“I- I do not deserve to kiss you.” She lamented.

“What? But, how can you say that?” Rayne asked while having no clue as to what she was going on about.

Shaking her head and holding onto him tightly with her hooves, she sobbed, “I cannot bear the weight of it. For you have been standing here with the fear of not being worthy of me, while the truth could not be any more the opposite.” She cried while releasing him to place both hooves over her eyes in shame. “I have betrayed you, Rayne! And… and I just don’t know how you could ever forgive me.” She cried out, dropping to her knees remorsefully.

Kneeling down and leaning her in against him, Rayne whispered, “Hey there, come on now. Let’s not repeat any more failures in communication. Tell me what you are talking about.”

She wiped her eyes with a hoof while just staring away at the floor. “I was so angry at you when I thought that you had been hiding something from me. So in my fury, I made the foolish and rash decision to turn to Magnus for comfort.” She fought hard to hold back her sobbing as she told him, “Rayne, you know he has been vying for my affections for some time. And I know about your fears of me having laid with him. But I didn’t! I promise you that I hath not. But in the garden, I did allow him to hold me, and I kissed him. Even after I had already proclaimed on our last date that I would be yours, I allowed myself to kiss him through the majority of the night.”

Rayne reached down, just gently caressing along her mane. He looked her over as she cried remorsefully in his arms. But after beckoning her twice to look at him, he asked her, “You’re afraid of my reaction? You’re worried that now you might be the one unfit to be with me now?”

She nodded to him and said, “How could I not be when surely you will think of me as untrustworthy now. First, I unfairly rebuked you in public after you had been kidnapped, when what I should have been doing was first checking to see if you were okay. Then, I completely failed to listen to you, and who knows how grievously I may have harmed you by allowing you to experience such wicked night terrors. And now, my conscience forces me to admit that on top of all, I hath broken the honor of my word in promising to be faithful to you.” She announced while feeling absolutely ashamed of herself.

However, Luna screamed out in surprise when he all at once placed his arms around her and scooped her up off the floor. “I think that’s just about enough of that.” He told her in a firm and supportive tone. Meanwhile, the blushing mare just stared at him, unable to say a word as he carried her princess style to lay them both down upon the bed.

“But Rayne, you don’t understand!” She began, while at the same time seeing him find no hesitation in laying close in beside her. “It isn’t just that Magnus sought to romance me. I do not know if you have been made aware of this, but he hath asked for my hoof in marriage. Why even now, I have no doubt he assumes-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rayne called out unexpectedly.

‘W-what?!” Luna gasped.

“I said, it doesn’t matter,” Rayne answered again with a smile as if what she’d told him couldn’t have been more irreverent.

“But Rayne! I hath just told you that he asked for me to marry him!” Luna insisted as if perhaps he had not grasped what she’d told him.

“And did you accept?” He asked with an almost cocky smile.

“I-... oh, well no in fact. Despite how I was most amorous with him last evening, I suppose we sort of skipped that part.” She admitted while thinking back.

“Well then if you didn’t say it, then you didn’t do it. The two of you aren’t engaged.” Rayne chuckled, while secretly feeling relieved that the line from ’The Princess Bride’ had actually worked for their situation.

Now Luna scoffed and then blushed almost with embarrassment for how silly she was feeling. “W-well… I suppose that you are right. So then where does that leave things?” She asked him.

“Well,” Rayne smiled, “if you aren’t engaged to Magnus, and if your proclamation to me outside Appleloosa still holds true, then that means you are no longer contested between two suitors. Because as you lay here, you are already beside your chosen partner.” He answered smugly. But before either of them could continue he added, “However, just for peace of mind’s sake, I am going to have to insist that you say it.” He requested.

Leaving all of the negative emotions of their night behind her, Luna stretched her hooves out around him and said, “You are my boyfriend now, Rayne. My one and only, and I couldn’t be happier about that because I chose you.” She stated clearly before leaning in tight to kiss him.

As she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he did the same with her, Rayne could not have been happier to hear that. Neither of them moved, but instead, they laid still, just delicately gliding one another's lips. The moment was peaceful and comforting. It was a reprieve from the stress which had pent up inside both of them. And as they embraced one another, they did so softly, each helping the other release the burden of how heavy their emotions had been.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later when Rayne moved to caress Luna’s cheek that they finally pulled away and she gasped. “Ouch!” She cried suddenly while lifting a hoof to cover up her face.

“Ouch? Wait a minute, what happened?” Rayne asked as he leaned in to look at her closely. It was clear at first that Luna did not want him to see, but when he would not relent she lowered her hoof and allowed him to inspect a smudge in her fur on the side of her face. Hidden there beneath heavy staining of tears was a long scratch that definitely looked as if it had some bruising around it. “Now where in the world did you get this? I didn’t kick you in my sleep, did I?”

Luna laughed out and shook her head to reassure him. “No, not quite. You see, after leaving your dreams I eventually found myself returning to the underground dwelling which you have been sharing with Maud. Before I teleported you away, she had been actively trying to explain why you were taking the Disdream Elixir. Let’s just say that this time I was much more receptive to lending her an ear. She explained to me all about how you suffered from the most intolerable night terrors for years and that you traveled from your home all the way to Equestria in search of a way to finally stop them. I admit that I had been a fool because had I just allowed her to explain then we might have been able to save many unnecessary tears on all sides.” She confessed regretfully.

Holding her tighter now to prevent any slumping back into sadness, he smiled before asking, “And the mark on your cheek?”

“Oh, yes well…” She said while blushing. “After she explained, she demanded to know what had happened to you after I teleported us away. She was very concerned to know if I had done anything to hurt you. And she was ever more patient than I in allowing me to finish. But once I stated that my explanation was done… She raised her hoof, and she struck me.”

“Wait, Maud slapped you?!” Rayne shouted in surprise.

Chuckling at it now, Luna rubbed her cheek in a circle. “Yes, and quite hard I might add.” She remarked. “But fear not for it shall go without consequence. Princess or not, even I can see how I had that coming given the way I behaved.” She reassured him.

Then as the two continued to lay in bed with one another, they both seemed oblivious to the rest of the world around them until a faint light in the distance seemed to distract Luna from their conversation. “Wait, no! It cannot be time yet?!” She gasped before materializing a pocket watch out of thin air.

Rayne looked at her in confusion when he saw her eyes spread wide. “What’s going on? Is there something wrong?”

“I have missed the dawn! It is nearly ten minutes past!” She shouted before pausing as she leaned away from his side. Turning back to him quickly, she kissed his cheek before saying, “Please excuse me for just a moment as duty calls.” Then without waiting for a reply, she rushed out of bed and hurried out to her balcony.

Once there, she saw the twinkling of light struggling to peek up under the horizon as the moon had not yet given way. Celestia stood on her balcony and looked down at her sister, but there was no discontentment on her face. Instead, the older sibling just smiled and nodded as if to show her understanding.

Without any delay Luna hurried to lower the moon out of the way. But after the morning had risen, Luna nodded back in return showing her heartfelt thanks to her sister. With a smile Luna stepped back into her room, however, it surprised her to find the stallion standing up and stepping out of her bed. “Wha-... surely you are not leaving so soon?” She asked him anxiously.

Rayne stepped up to her and held one of her hooves within his own. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He reassured her. “However, I must confess that I find myself to be quite hungry this morning. And I admit I am rather charmed by the notion of sharing breakfast together, given the circumstances, perhaps sharing dinner with you instead?” He asked while staring into her eyes romantically.

Now giving him a smirk, Luna pulled him in close so that he could wrap his arms around her properly, and with a hoof placed against his chest, she asked him, “How about breakfast for dinner then? We can make our way down to the kitchen and I’m sure they will have whatever you would like.” She said to him, even though she seemed more hungry just to kiss him than for actual food.

• A Few Minutes Later -

“Honestly, Rayne, if you had been plagued by night terrors for so much of your life then why didn’t you just tell me? Did you really think that the princess of dreams was a pony who would not understand?” Luna asked him as they walked hoof-in-hoof down the hall with each other.

The two were a picture of smiles beside one another, as guards all throughout the castle looked on in surprise. But the new couple seemed to pay them no mind as the princess could not have appeared happier to be walking so close to Rayne’s side. “What, and ask you to hope? To endanger you by inviting you to try to save me when I know that my inner turmoil is my own? I couldn’t ask you to do that. Not when I know all that you have also been through.”

Then Luna stopped them and looked up into his eyes. “I want us to trust one another, okay? Your hardship is my hardship. And I trust that in what troubles me, you will also be there for me as well.” She said and he nodded to her. “I will respect your wishes to stay out of your dreams from now on. I admit that experience in the dream realm alone does not leave me confident in being able to assist with the burdens you carry. But I promise to be there for you if you need me.” She reassured him.

Rayne simply smiled as he looked back into her eyes. “I’m not concerned about it, because every day forward will be the dream for me while I’m awake, now that I have you in my life.”

“Rayne…” She blushed before starting to walk together with him again.

As they turned a corner nearing the kitchens, she asked him, ‘But there is still one thing that I do not understand. Why did I continually see vestiges of fire in almost all of your dreams, Rayne? Did… you have some traumatic accident when you were a colt?” She asked, looking him over and making sure there are no signs of scars upon him.

Rayne then let out a nervous sigh but he didn’t make her wait before confessing, “It isn’t fire that my dreams were likely representing, but just a burning in general.” He explained as she listened to him intently. “You see, I was born with an unusual condition where my body responds violently to sunlight. It wasn’t so bad when I was born but it got worse as I became older. What started as a severe case of sunburns eventually escalated to full internal bleeding and then full-blown organ failure. You see, while under the sun, most ponies respond by having a chemical reaction that spreads Vitamin D throughout their bodies. My body, however, has some kind of malfunction in my DNA that causes my cells to attack one another, destroying my system as a response to sunlight.”

“Rayne, my goodness! Can such a condition truly exist?” Luna gasped.

“Yes, indeed.” He answered. “It wasn’t until recently, actually, that I found myself with an escape from that predicament. After which I was able to travel safely to Ponyville. But before then it was quite bad and I suppose I might have some leftover trauma from that.” He sighed. “But to answer your question, it was a life spent in fear of the sun that you saw… because in all my dreams I burn.” He answered and she gasped with a hoof over her lips.

“Rayne, that’s terrible!” She shouted. “Well, it’s no wonder you were able to speak so passionately before about appreciating the moon and the stars.” She surmised. But she was taken by surprise when Rayne whipped her around in front of him.

“Oh no, believe me when I say that how I appreciated the moon in the past will be nothing to how I savor its splendor now.” He whispered romantically as Luna felt her knees going weak underneath her.

“Oh, Rayne.” She blushed before lifting her lips to meet his. She kissed him deeply and he held her tight as the two of them shared a moment that was both intimate and personal to them.

It wasn’t until another voice spoke that Luna remembered they were in the castle hallways and not her private chambers. “So, that’s how it is then, is it?” The voice said as Luna looked down to see a bouquet of flowers dropped upon the floor in front of a pony.

“Magnus!” She shouted in surprise, realizing he was seeing her standing arm-in-arm with Rayne in front of him. Her eyes closed in disappointment at the situation, but she had promised herself to Rayne and knew it would improve nothing for the situation if she were to flee away from her partner at the mere sight of another suitor. Opting to move gracefully back to her hooves instead, she stood upright and said, “Good morning, Sir Magnus.”

Standing there looking stricken as if a stake had just been driven through his chest, the pegasus said to her, “I had been worried about you after we last spoke. Even though I had hoped to win your heart over him, I knew that Rayne was still a pony of consequence to you. And I had intended to offer you comfort this morning should you need it, after traversing whatever dreams you found within him. Although it would appear that I have wasted my time.” He said while turning his gaze and staring at the other stallion.

After giving his hoof a reassuring squeeze, Luna stepped away from Rayne to once more place herself in Magnus’ view. “I was wrong about Rayne, and all the things I said about him. My statements were made out of fear and I allowed myself to make assumptions which have proven to be false.” She stated before steeling herself to face this hardship. “I have reached my decision and I am sorry if this hurts you, but I choose Rayne. You are a fine stallion, Magnus. And I come to this decision by no fault or shortcoming in your courtship. But my heart has taken root, and I love Rayne.” She said declaratively while stepping back and placing a hoof upon the dark stallion’s chest.

“Well…” Magnus retorted, clearly trying to not be specifically disrespectful but the heartbroken look upon his face said it all. “Who can argue with a confession like that?” He asked before bending down and picking up the flowers which he had dropped. Then while angrily biting his lip, he nodded and turned his gaze away. Rayne and Luna looked at each other as they could both see the flower-stems bending in his clenched grasp. But Magnus was looking hurt, not specifically angry, as the proud warrior did all he could to salvage his pride with a modicum of decency. “You both have my best wishes.” He whispered as his voice cracked. “It was your happiness, my lady, that I wished for. And I am pleased to see that you have found it.” Then while bitterly shuffling a hoof he said, “I suppose that I will be off. Lots of new recruits to yell at, I’m sure.” He reasoned, even though he was feeling soul crushed.

After this, with his head held high, Magnus just turned and began walking down the hall. However, it surprised him when he heard Luna’s voice calling out for Rayne to stop, followed by the dark stallion’s voice calling after him. “Wait!”

What happened next surprised Luna and even made two nearby guards gasp in alarm. There was a loud slam as the pegasi held the dark stallion pinned up against the wall. “Don’t you dare try to take the courtesy of a gentlepony’s exit away from me!” Magnus roared. Now he was letting his emotions show while screaming at Rayne and sounding enraged. “I have NOTHING left to say to you at the moment so why don’t you just leave well enough alone?!”

Luna looked wide-eyed and prayed she was not about to witness the two of them fight. Rayne just stared ahead at Magnus without worry, even as the angered pegasi held him by the scruff of his neck. “Why her?” He asked specifically.

“What?!” Magnus growled.

Rayne, however, did not seem as if he would be deterred. “Why her? Huh?! Tell me, why did it have to be Luna so badly?”

Now the two stallions just glared at one another with neither of them backing down. But eventually, Magnus softened his gaze before allowing Rayne down from off of the wall. “Because… I am a relic and I don’t want to live out the rest of my days in this new and unfamiliar Equestria alone.” He stated but raised a hoof to stop her when it looked as if Luna would pity him. “I don’t belong to this time and I feel it would be improper for me to woo a young mare of this day in age when I might be stealing her from someone in this timeline she could have been happy with instead.”

Looking at him calmly now, Rayne said, “And that is why you thought Luna would be perfect for you because you both know what it is like to have lost a thousand years to time.” Rayne surmised and the other stallion just nodded. After heaving a sigh and straightening himself up he said, “Magnus, it was short but you and I started as friends. I didn’t mean to get in the way of what you wanted, but what happened, happened. But I don’t want this to fester as a bitter resentment for us, especially when I don’t believe Luna is really your ONLY choice at being happy.” He tried but knew that the pegasi’s emotions would probably not be consoled so easily.

“Terms of agreement are always more easily written by the victors after a conflict, Rayne. And really, I’ll be fine without your pity. What would you even know about how to help me now after you’ve already got the girl, huh?” He complained and then turned once more towards the door.

Rayne didn’t stand in Magnus’ way this time but he did still call out after him. “Well, hasn’t anyone told you? I’m a pleasure pony.” Rayne chuckled. He waited, not knowing for certain but he had confidence, and sure enough, was rewarded because the pegasi stopped halfway to the door with a sigh.

Shaking his head, the doubtful stallion turned back over his shoulder and asked, “Oh? So what exactly would the magic matchmaker suggest for an old war veteran who is too honorable to steal the potential love of some young fine mare of the current times?” He asked while being none too shy about showing his disbelief in his tone.

Without missing a beat, the dark stallion smirked and called out, “Have you ever thought about dating somepony older than you?”

“Older?!” Magnus exclaimed, definitely being caught off guard by that suggestion.

“Yeah, think about it,” Rayne responded. “Now I’m not suggesting you start going around and hitting up retirement homes or anything. But haven’t you noticed there is an extreme disproportion of mares to stallions in Equestria? Not every lady finds herself an eligible bachelor and that’s just a mathematical fact. So that also means there are probably plenty of middle-aged mares out there who also wanted love and just didn’t find it. You’re not going to be stealing them from anypony and just because they are beyond their youth certainly doesn’t mean they have yet passed their prime.”

“I… guess that does make a kind of sense,” Magnus remarked towards the unusual suggestion.

“Come on, Magnus. A bunch of eager mares who all love a stallion in uniform? And if I understand you right, you want to find somepony to settle down with. If word were to get out that the historic hero was looking for a wife… well then. I’m sure you would go from not enough candidates to too many, real quick.” Rayne snickered.

“Huh…” Magnus remarked simply. “An older mare.” He whispered as Rayne just put a hoof around his shoulder and aimed him back towards the doors.

“Yeah, that’s right. And then you’d be the handsome young prize, instead of the other way around. That’s not a bad situation to be in if you ask me.” He suggested while motioning for one of the guards to step over. “Now listen, Luna is a wonderful mare but I don’t mean any offense by it when I say that you never really loved her.” Turning back over his shoulder to the princess he whispered out, “But I do.” He said as she blushed. Then turning back as he walked Magnus towards the doorway he said, “I’m telling you, changing your focus to go after somepony just slightly older than you will be the best idea that you ever had.” He told him while casually slipping his arm away from Magnus’ shoulder and replacing it with that of the confused guard stallion instead.

“Yeah… yeah an older mare,” Magnus said to himself again as he thought it over, never having even realized what just happened while he and the guard stepped outside together.

Slowly strutting his way back to the princess, Rayne was grinning from ear to ear as he pretended he was dusting off his hooves. “I wouldn’t be a very good boyfriend if I left a hardship lingering between you and an old friend, now would I?” He asked while gesturing back toward Magnus.

Luna however just stared at him, open-mouthed as if she could not believe the antics that he had just pulled. “I have… so many things to chide you for.” She scolded him with a laugh. But then after pulling him close she whispered demurely, “But perhaps I can be convinced to forgive you if you say it to me… if you say it and mean it, Rayne.” She said while staring into his eyes.

“I love you, Luna. I truly do.” He was happy to say without hesitation.

“Mmm, you’re going to be one of those boyfriends who are bad for the mare, making her proceed with things in the relationship far too early than she means to.” She hummed at him playfully.

“Yup.” He laughed as she prodded at him for his smugness.

“I love you too, Rayne. And I can admonish you after breakfast. Now let us finally go eat.” He reassured him.

“I can’t wait.” He told her while they both made their way into the kitchen together.

Author's Note

Whewie, what a chapter. But it feels good to bring plot arcs to an end. So starting things off with Luna here, I said she would be shaken after Rayne's dreams but I also stated she would not be undone by them. Nightmares are frightening, but that's all they are. And once you move past them, they are over with.

So I thought that Anansi still deserved an honorable mention even though she didn't really have a role in this chapter. But mainly Maud here just sought out comfort in her sister Pinkie to help quell her panic from watching Rayne be abducted. She's still not going to betray Rayne's trust in her keeping his secrets though, because she trusts Rayne to be able to turn things around even if she can't see how.

You know what I think makes for a good character who has a lot of power at their disposal? Seeing them live long enough to show their weakness despite it all. Rayne's not actually obsessively power hungry like some of you may have assumed. He's actually more like someone with PSTD who's over concerned with problem-prevention. But it takes time to really get to know someone. In this case 124 chapters apparently haha. I know a lot of people may have never read beyond my first few chapters thinking, "Oh, another self insert. Or another Mary Sue." But for those of you who have followed along this far to really get to see how my character is much deeper than that, well I appreciate that a lot.

At this point I don't know what else to say about Rayne's history of being afraid of sunlight. Rayne is me, and I have medical issues. It's all been said before. This will never not be a part of Rayne's past that he lives with, but it's no longer a part of his life as he lives now.

So a bigger point that I want to touch on is when Luna is reviewing her opinion of Rayne's beautiful, yet terrifying mind. And this comes down to a human's mind vs a cartoon's mind. This isn't about Rayne being a superior character in the story to other ponies. This is about the difference between the real life human psyche vs that of a tv cartoon animation's. Yes, I've flushed a sense of reality into the world of Equestria for this story, but there are still key differences that remain. How do you describe color to someone who is blind? How do you describe poetry to someone who is deaf? This isn't about better or worse. This is just a fact that a human brain is something the likes of which Luna would have never encountered before.

Now was Rayne being a sneaky bastard by redirecting Magnus towards dating somepony else? Eh, a little bit. But he wasn't wrong or doing anything bad either. Rayne is our protagonist I think sometimes it can be easy to pin the viewpoint on him that he is only out for serving himself. But while he is of course always going to support his own best interest, it's really just not the truth that he is actually that selfish. Rayne is a pleasure pony, and he understands that job. And just because he may be securing Magnus' focus away from Luna, doesn't mean he isn't sincere in helping Magnus find happiness as well. Sometimes Rayne is a good guy, and sometimes he is a bad guy. Rayne is an anti-hero, and Rayne is also human. He's confident but imperfect, he's idealistic but makes mistakes. But in the end he's just doing the best with what he has to work with, like anyone.

And that brings us to the end. Magnus is going to fade off from the story into his place in the tv show. His arc here is done. Whether he finds love or not is only for the mysteries of background characters to know. But the 'chase after Luna' arc is completed. Rayne and Luna are together now, so there will be a lot of romantic chapters in the future. But Chrysalis' arc is far from finished. So I hope you are all looking forward to this next leg of the story. And as always, thank you for reading! ^_^